Blue Roses
by ScarletDreamsForever
Summary: Hikari is growing older and Luke doesn't like it. When a freak accident happens, Luke and Hikari do something that will destroy their friendship completely or start something totally new.
1. Deeper

**This fanfiction is still about Luke. But, he's got a new girl! She's Hikari from Animal Parade. All the places on the island are different from Waffle Island for those of you who have not played the game yet. The Island is called Castanet, and the rest of the town is named after some sort of music or musical instrument. Anyway, thanks for reading! Enjoy!!!**

Luke didn't understand how Hikari could finally be changing right underneath his nose. He didn't understand how she could have felt the way she did. Everyone else his age understood it, why didn't he?

He was two years older than she was and he still didn't understand. His father said it was a phase of his, and soon he'd see someone just like Hikari did. But seeing Hikari with the mayor's son felt like someone had taken a knife and stabbed him in the heart.

Hikari was like his sister. She had moved to Castanet Island a little over three years ago and they had grown close, closer than he had with Bo. Hikari spending time with Gill was just another thing to add to his list of confusions.

She swore it wasn't like that. Dale had told him that sometimes it was natural for a woman turning twenty to feel that way. But Luke, being the ripe age of twenty-two, didn't understand.

Luke had been called "retarded" for not understanding Hikari's situation. And maybe they were right. Dale had tried to reassure Luke that they were wrong and that he just hadn't matured enough.

But even Dale doubted this. He had told Luke for years the same thing. It was as if he was a tape recorder on repeat. Luke had believed it though. His childish nature had a lasting effect on him, which wasn't necessarily always a bad thing. But Dale had a hard time believing it to be a good thing…

Hikari was mature, but more foolish. Dale couldn't count how many times Hikari had run into the shop, afraid or crying over something. She was over emotional.

And the two of them drove Dale crazy.

Bo was stuck in the middle. It was like he didn't have his own thoughts. He was ripped into every situation Hikari and Luke got themselves stuck into. Then, when it was all done, he was the one who had to explain to Dale what happened.

It was usually the same script too: "Well Master, Luke didn't think," or, "Hikari didn't know she was getting into that."

Now it was different. Hikari had come into Dale's Carpentry early in the morning with a face that lacked emotion. Not a sad or confused face, or even happy. It was just expressionless.

She had placed a form on the front desk slowly. It was in a manila envelope and it contained a rather hefty amount of money. She wanted a house upgrade and that was it.

When Luke walked out, there wasn't even a 'hello'. She walked out like a zombie and rounded the corner back towards her little farm house.

Luke looked out the window and watched her leave. Only one thing had come to his mind, "Gill." He opened his mouth to speak but then realized his dad wanted to hear nothing of it. So he sighed, blowing his blue bangs into the air and then watching them fall over his topaz eyes.

"I know what you're thinking Luke. It had nothing to do with Gill," Dale told him shortly.

Luke didn't answer. "Ah," he said finally and then let the thought drop. He stood up slowly and walked over to the work bench.

"Let it go son," Dale said. "She'll be fine. It's just a phase."

Luke nodded nonchalantly and placed safety glasses over his eyes, letting the black band snap just underneath his flame patterned bandana. He grabbed the saw resting on one end of the door he was supposed to be cutting and started to neatly cut long the edge of a dotted line Dale had drawn for him.

Hikari was sitting on her bed, a blank glaze over her eyes. She felt strange for some reason today. Her chest was hurting but it wasn't something a doctor could fix. She felt sick and alone, but it wasn't a virus.

Luke had been shying away from her a little bit more each day. It was so bad that they stopped talking altogether. He was her closest friend and now it was like they didn't even know each other. It was like they were acquaintances, acquaintances that happened to know everything about each other.

"Luke," Dale said, eyeing Luke from the desk in front of the shop. "Why don't you go down to Hikari's and invite her to do something with you tonight?"

Luke didn't answer and continued to pretend to saw the door, even though he had already gone over it countless times. Dale shook his head and sighed. His son was the strangest person he knew.

Normal people had emotions that varied, Luke was the extremes. He was never happy without being tremendously happy and when he got angry, he was the angriest person Dale knew. His son wasn't bipolar, but he was close.

"Luke!" Dale said, getting exasperated.

He normally put up with his son's actions but recently it seemed as though his patience was getting thinner and thinner. Like someone had lit the fuse on a bomb and the fire was burning it slowly, slowly until it exploded. And then where would Dale be?

Luke never cried. He hid behind emotions and that made him stronger. It was also probably the reason for his extreme emotions. But, if Dale ever were to yell at Luke to the point where he couldn't stand it anymore, he could probably reduce the poor boy to tears.

"Sorry pops," Luke muttered and set the saw down. Apologizing was his strong point. He had certainly had enough experience saying it.

Luke took the glasses off his face gingerly. He hated having his bandana come off and ripping the glasses off would almost guaranty that. He, slowly but surely, made his way towards the door- secretly wishing that his dad would change his mind.

But he didn't, and Luke was off to Hikari's house in no time. He wasn't nervous, but he wasn't really in the mood to talk to her. She seemed so distance from him and they never talked anymore.

He took a deep gulp of air and knocked on her door. Hopefully, she wasn't in a sour mood. Hikari cracked the door open slightly and Luke could tell a smile spread across her solemn face.

"Luke?!" she said and flung herself on him.

He stood there, bewildered and confused, and hugged her. "Hey do you want to do something right now?" he asked.

"Sure," Hikari answered and quickly ran back into her house. She grabbed a purse to match her blue sundress and ran out the door, slamming it behind her.

"I'm so glad you decided to come!" Luke said, smiling earnestly.

Hikari glanced at him curiously for a moment and then shook her head, her brown locks flopping over her face and then back into their normal position on her forehead. "What, why?"

"I dunno… I'm always bored when I have no one to hang out with. Work only keeps me busy until six," Luke answered casually.

Hikari frowned slightly. Of course, Luke was too thick to notice.

Where was he taking her? She then felt a sense of adventure sweep through her body. It was as if Luke's energetic persona was radiating off of him and sinking into her.

Luke led Hikari to the pier right in front of the local Fishery. Sunsets on Castanet Island were beautiful! The pink meshed with the orange color, swallowing up the blue sky. The grayish tint of the night was setting in on top of it and the remains of the sun glistening on the water below. Hikari loved Castanet Island and wouldn't trade this view for anything.

"Luke…" Hikari said, her words getting caught in her throat.

"I know," he said, running one hand through his hair. His eyes reflected the sunset and it was strangly beautiful.

Hikari smiled and sat down on the dock, letting her feet dangle from the edge of it, a feeling of serenity sweeping over her. Luke followed and sat beside her, placing one hand behind her back and resting it on the wooden dock.

It was early summer, so the sun set later and the water was warmer. That was another thing Hikari loved about Castanet Island. She got to experience all the seasons in their extremes. In the city, she got spring and winter and that was it.

She leaned forward a little to dip her feet in the water. She looked down into the peaceful bluish gray water and saw herself and Luke's reflection in it. She smiled and made sure to remember this moment. And strangely, she felt as though these moments with him were limited.

In a way, Hikari was right. The sun was setting quickly and the water was turning black as the night set in. She took her feet out of the water and hastily stood up.

"Hikari?" Luke said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back down again. "What's wrong?"

"Um, nothing… I just remembered I have some, uh, business to take care of," she answered and attempted to run.

The sun was now below the mountains and darkness was engulfing the last of the grayish sunset tint. "Wait! Hikari!" Luke said, once again grabbing her arm and pulling her.

Although, he didn't know his own strength. As he grabbed her, he pulled her a bit too hard and flung her off the edge of the dock. Hikari screamed and gasped, thrashing around in the dark water like a fish just caught on a hook. Luke looked down into the water with an expression mixed with nervousness and embarrassment.

"I-I'm so sorry! I'll get you out!" he said and as he did, he started to practically rip his white tank top from his body.

Now, Hikari could swim and in fact, she loved to. But ever since she had fallen off a boat when she was a little girl, dark water had scared her. Sure, it was day when she went, but it was storming and the water was gray and murky.

Hikari was gasping for air. Her legs felt heavy and she was scared to death. She didn't want Luke to think of her as a wimp but she was too terrified to care. Suddenly, as she shut her eyes, hoping it was all a bad dream, she felt someone grab her waste. Before she could scream, water rushed into her lungs, clogging her throat with the salty sea water. Her eyes fluttered open again and she caught a glimpse of something shiny floating to the bottom of the ocean. And then, all went black.

***

"Hikari?" was the next word she heard. Her stomach tied itself in a knot and her head throbbed painfully. What had happened? She opened her eyes, and although her vision was blurred, she could make out the figures around her. Luke, Jin, Dale, and Bo were staring at her. She turned to one side, expecting to feel the cool metal rim of the hospital bed against her aching head. But she didn't and instead ran into a wood frame.

"Oh what the-!" she yelled angrily and sat up.

Jin was eyeing her, expecting her to finish her sentence. Dale had his index and middle fingers placed on his temple, rubbing it with an exasperated expression. Bo looked semi-concerned and Luke's eyes were filled with worry.

"Hikari!" Luke yelled and flung his arms around her neck.

"Goddess Luke!" she yelled back, pushing him off of her.

Once he stood up with an apologetic expression on his face, Hikari could tell where she was. She was in Dale's house- and to be more specific, Luke's room. Half wanting to laugh at how messy his room was, she broke out into a hacking cough and slumped back down under the covers of his warm bed sheets.

Jin was still eyeing her. "You have someone to thank for saving your life," he said, peering down at her through his spectacles.

"Huh?" Hikari managed to ask.

How exactly did she survive? She racked her brain, thinking hard of the events prior to her wakening.

She had fallen and because of her "after dark hydrophobia", she was paralyzed under her own fear. Someone had grabbed her and pulled her out. And she remembered something drifting off into the darkness of the ocean depths. Something sharp and shiny, something attached to a string…

Her eyes quickly darted to Luke's chest. The shark-tooth necklace was gone! He smiled at her, knowing what she had discovered. Hikari felt angry and guilty. If she hadn't been so stupid and just swam to shore twenty feet from where she had fallen, Luke would still have that necklace- the dearest thing to him in the whole world.

"Luke," she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. She clutched his white sheets in her fists and let the tears roll off her chin and onto the bedspread.

"It's alright Hikari," he said. "Saving you was worth it."

Hikari tried to smile but her smile turned into a gasp. "You saved me…" she whispered. "Y-you saved my life…"

"Yeah," Luke answered, shrugging. "But it was Gill who gave you mouth to mouth." However, he grinned on the last few words and Hikari knew he was joking.

"Whatever!" she said and flung one of the pillows behind her at him. Dale sighed and Bo smirked a smirk that looked as though he knew something the others didn't.

Jin rolled his eyes. Obviously, he wasn't used to Hikari and Luke acting so childish around each other. And this arose the same observation that Hikari noticed when Mira, the jeweler's wife, had her first miscarriage. He didn't want anything to do with kids, which was probably why he kept Anissa so distance when she worked for him.

"Alright Miss Hikari," he said finally, letting a sigh sweep the words out of his mouth. "You need to stay here tonight, if that will suffice with Dale."

Dale nodded nonchalantly. He had watched Hikari overnight before and assumed Luke would take the couch when night fell like he always did.

"Thank you Doctor," Hikari answered and bowed her head in respect for him.

Although she didn't mean it as much as she should have. Being friends with Anissa meant an almost automatic prejudice against the Doctor.

Jin nodded and left the room, his white lab coat following him gracefully. Luke sat on the edge of his bed and grinned at Hikari. She grinned back and placed one hand on her head. She knew she was running a fever and almost wanted to push out everyone in the room so she could sleep.

"Hope you feel better Hikari," Bo said from the doorway as he walked out with Dale, who was driven to silence by this point.

"Thanks," she muttered softly.

She turned to face Luke, who was clutching at his chest. She knew he was looking to grab that necklace, a habit by now, and she felt even worse watching him grab hopelessly at where the point of the tooth usually was.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Luke smiled weakly and shrugged. "Eh," he said. "It's fine… Like I said, saving you was worth it."

I shook my head. "I'm so stupid…"

Luke crawled slowly up the edge of the bed and lay next to Hikari on his side. "No you're not. You were scared, I had to do something."

"But my fear is stupid," she protested, sinking down in the covers and turning on her side to face Luke again.

"You're stupid if you keep saying that," he answered and laughed. He shook his head and muttered, "Gill wouldn't have saved you…"

Hikari wanted to pretend that she didn't hear his words. She almost felt like they weren't for her to hear. They were Luke's thoughts accidentally being expressed. But still… Luke had a strong dislike for the mayor's son and Hikari couldn't figure out why. And neither could Luke…

"Why are you hating on Gill? He's pretty… nice once you get to know him," Hikari answered quietly.

Luke blushed and Hikari knew he hadn't known he said that aloud. "Maybe," Luke said, and Hikari inched away from him.

She felt rather uncomfortable, although Luke was her best friend and it was, after all, his bed. And maybe that's why she felt the way she did. It was _his_ bed which _she _was lying in. She knew it would have been different if it was Kathy or Anissa's, which in her overall thought process, didn't make much sense anyway because Luke was her best friend. She shook her head, thinking hurt.

"Luke?" she said softly.

Luke smiled at her and brushed on loose strand of hair away from her face. "Alright, I'll leave. Get some sleep… I don't want to make the trip into town in a week without you."

Hikari smiled and thanked him, hugging him and running one finger down his chest. She knew it didn't make up for the lost necklace, but it made her feel better. He got up and left, switching off the lights. Hikari sunk down into her covers and shivered. A thought still lingered in her mind. Why was she so embarrassed to have Luke lie next to her?

**Obviously, some sort of relationship is developing between them. Its happening a bit fast? No, there are going to be a lot of chapters and a lot of twists and turns. This story is more... mature than Pieces of Akari, but it's still rated T for Teen because the things in it aren't... well, M material. I hope to have this story last a long time- and I would love to have people review and tune in! But, thats your job everyone, and I'm not forcing you to! So, if you liked the story even a bit, please comment! And if you didn't like it, well, comment and I'll see what I can change! **


	2. Sorry

**A/N: Well, here I am! I just have to say I'm over greatful to all you people who reviewed and added this story to favorites/watchlist! And only on the first chapter too! I know that when writing, you should write for the love of it and not just for the reviews. But, they are very nice. And they make me want to continue writing! This chapter may seem a bit, eh, not realistic. Just cause Dale has a spaz attack over something and, being the normally smart adult that he is, I don't think he would have made Hikari do what he did make her do. Anyway, read and find out! **

**Thanks so much!**

Hikari opened her eyes. Her head was throbbing and her stomach ached with the sea water sitting inside it. She felt cold and alone. Dreams had haunted her of her near death experience and the loss of Luke's necklace. She was thoroughly angry, and she knew her conscience was sick with guilt.

She rolled over to one side and placed her hand close to her head. She closed her eyes and snuggled into the warm sheets. After a moment or two, her eyes shot open and she sat up, breathing heavily.

"Hikari? Are you alright?" a voice whispered. It was raspy and had obviously been asleep for awhile.

"Oh. My. Goddess. Luke what the hell are you doing?!" she whispered, although she was ready to yell.

"Sleeping," he answered shortly. "Why?"

"That's what I should be asking you! Why are you sleeping here?!" she said, slapping him across his bare chest. The sound was loud and Luke winced.

"Damn, Hikari! This is my bed; I have a right to sleep here if I want…"

"But not with me!"

"Why?"

Hikari slapped her hand to her forehead. How old did Luke think they were? Four _and_ related? She wouldn't have been making such a big deal about if they were four or related. Two years ago she wouldn't have cared either.

But something changed…

Maybe she changed…

Back then, Luke was just the easygoing, care free carpenter who always seemed to be getting hurt at exactly the wrong time. But now, and maybe it was just her, Luke seemed to be growing up, not mentally, but physically. And even if he himself didn't notice it, she did. He was two years older than she was… Twenty-two, and she was growing up right along with him.

But she was afraid she'd leave him behind if she grew up mentally. And she didn't have the heart to admit to herself that she'd miss him if she left.

"Because…" Hikari said, sighing. She felt awkward talking to Luke about her ethics and 'why' they couldn't sleep in the same bed, even if it was out of innocence. "We're older now…"

"See? I knew it!" Luke said, his temper rising. "Ever since you started dating Gill you've been freaking not acting like yourself!"

"Don't turn this on Gill, Luke," Hikari said, her temper rising as well. "You don't even know him!"

"You don't even know him either Hikari! I was born on this island, just like Gill, and you _came_ here…"

Hikari just stared at Luke. She felt embarrassed and angry all at the same time. She wanted to slap him, but she also wanted to cry and hold him tightly.

"What are we doing?" she whispered, shaking her head.

She could see Luke smile in the moonlight that was shining brightly through the window. "I dunno," he said, shaking his head. "I guess I was a little… Jealous…"

"Why?"

Luke shrugged and placed his hands behind his forehead, leaning against the wooden head of the bed. "Maybe it was because… Well, _we _were best friends and then when Gill came along, I felt... Neglected," he whispered.

Hikari smiled and placed one of her hands on his cheek. "I'm sorry. I never knew… Why didn't you just tell me? I love you, Luke."

The sensation was strange for Hikari- telling Luke she loved him. Yes, she did love him, very much so, in fact. But saying it, _verbally_ saying it to him was different. It sent shivers up her spine and made her heart skip a beat.

Totally cliché…

"I love you too, Hikari," Luke answered earnestly.

Luke was dense, that much could be told from a mere glance at the goofy, happy-go-lucky carpenter. But he understood love and the power it had. His ability to love everyone and take their flaws and run with it was just something that made him oh-so-loveable. Even if he failed at the level of 'academic' skill that the world valued, he had something different- something special.

Hikari guessed he learned it from his deceased mother, Mary. Luke had taken her to Mary's grave a year after they became best friends. She seemed like a remarkable woman; even Dale was still madly in love with her after sixteen years. And some of the amazing love she had shown Luke and Dale, rubbed off on Luke himself.

"So," Hikari said after a moment of silence between them. "Are you gonna get out of the bed so I can sleep again?"

"Nope," Luke answered, smiling his famous grin that only he could pull off. "Go to sleep Hikari. I'll see you tomorrow."

Hikari sighed. She wasn't going to win this battle. And besides, it wasn't like Dale checked up on his twenty-two year old son in the middle of the night.

"Alright, Luke," Hikari said. "But don't try anything funny…"

"With you?!" Luke said in a teasing tone. "I would never! You're no Selena, that's for sure."

Hikari scoffed at the mention of the haughty belly dancer. She wore next to nothing and could very well be the next 'most sexiest' woman with all of her curves and bouncy chest. It wasn't that Hikari hated her, it was that Luke liked her, so naturally she felt a twinge of jealousy for the exotic dancer.

It was like Luke's disapproving feelings about her and Gill…

Her eyes started to flutter and her vision blurred as she drifted off into a deep sleep. But little did she realize that she was asleep on _Luke_. He was holding her tightly in his strong arms and her head was pressed gently against his bare, ripped chest.

Hikari groaned slightly as sunlight shined through the window in Luke's room. Someone must have pulled the blinds open. She opened her eyes, groggy and irritable as she was- definitely not a morning person. To her embarrassment and dismay, Dale was standing by the window, holding the curtain wand in his hand and looking just as embarrassed and disappointed as Hikari did.

Rubbing his temple with his fingers, he said, "Do I really want to know?"

Luke opened his eyes and sighed. Caught red-handed and they weren't even doing anything… "No, pops, it wasn't what it looks like…"

"And you," Dale said, pointing his finger at Luke. "You expect me to believe that?! Luke, I'm completely aware of the changes that are taking place in you, but this, _this_ is going too far!"

"But pops!" Luke protested, his voice taking on the tone of a whine.

"I'm sorry, Dale," Hikari added. "But Luke is telling the truth."

Dale looked at Hikari and his gaze shifted slowly down to her chest. She slapped one hand to her forehead. How could she be so stupid?! Dale would never believe them now… How was she going to convince him that nothing happened when she was sitting in a bed, wearing a bra.

"Come with me," Dale said and grabbed Hikari's hand before dragging her out of the room.

He led her to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. "Look in the medicine cabinet. I know that if you and Luke did… well, whatever it was you did, it probably wouldn't show up if you were… You know. But do it anyway and I'll check back in a month."

Hikari opened the glass cabinet slowly and sure enough, a box was lying inside it titled "Pregnancy Test". _Damn that man…_ Hikari thought as she took the box out and placed it on the porcelain sink.

Surely she would be discovered if someone sifted through the trash after it had been thrown out. And even if she and Luke did do… _that_… there would be no way to tell the day after. _Damn Luke, then… _

She obeyed and slowly after testing herself, Luke knocked on the door.

"Hikari?" he said slowly, wrapping his knuckles on the bathroom door. "Sorry."

Hikari snorted. "Yeah… Me too. But you're not the one who has to pee on a stick in order to find out if she's pregnant. I know I'm not!"

"Gross," Luke muttered. "Anyway, pops said he wants you to be tested in a month and that he was overreacting. There's no way to tell in a day, right?"

"You mean you don't know?" Hikari said, raising one eyebrow. Luke couldn't see her, but he could tell from her voice that she wanted to laugh.

"N-no, I do," Luke answered defensively. "I know all about how a baby is made."

"Alright, sheesh, no need to get offensive," Hikari answered, waving her hands and rolling her eyes.

She turned on the sink and washed her hands. Then, picking up the little stick with a negative line through it, she dropped it into the trash can. Never in her life, would she ever want to be accused of that. Unless she did it, of course.

"Hikari," Luke said finally as she stepped out of the cold tile floor of the bathroom. "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Because my dad knows better than to accuse us of that. And because if you ever were accused correctly, it'd be with Gill."

She slapped Luke across the arm and chased him down the stairs. She loved Luke so much… But she didn't know how strong her love for him actually was. The stick she threw away was an omen for the future. But she didn't know it yet. And neither did Luke.

**How's that for a chapter? I wanted to make Luke seem a little less depressed. Just because he's usually happy and sunny, and I love that about him. Luke is just awesome in general. But enough of my fangirl talk. I think that the whole "pregnancy test" thing was a little out of whack. But thats for you guys to decide! I needed a filler, so please don't write mean comments like "that was so stupid" or "that would never happen" because I have an idea for future chapters that revolves around this.**

**Amazing how one can come up with the whole plot of the story in the shower! I did last night, so when I got the chance, I started writing this chapter! Reviews are love so, review! Thanks!**


	3. Elegance

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait! Thanks so much for the reviews! I had some major writers block and a few reports coming up for school so here's another chapter just so you know I'm alive! Acutally, it was really fun to make and not a filler at all. Very important to the story, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time. Reviews are awesome! So thanks and enjoy Chapter 3!**

Hikari had left the carpenters feeling a little bit better. Although it didn't help that Dale stared suspiciously at her and Luke while they were eating breakfast. Why didn't he believe them And what did he mean when he said, "I am aware of the changes Luke was going through."?

Hikari shook her head. Even for a young adult, this was confusing. But knowing she couldn't ponder the thought all day, she had decided to take the trip into Harmonica Town. Ever since she had left Luke's house, the whole town seemed to be completely quiet. No one was outside.

And then Hikari's stomach did a back flip. Turning around, she glanced at the bulletin board and clasped one hand over her mouth. She remembered what today was… The banquet at Gill's—it was to celebrate the island's 100 year anniversary.

Hikari cursed under her breath and ran over to Sonata Tailoring. She frantically knocked on the door until the skin on her knuckles started to peel off and blood replaced it.

_Damn old wooden doors…_

Candace creaked the door open slightly and Hikari was about read to burst inside the shop. It was a formal event. A formal event she was attending with _Gill. _So she needed to look somewhat presentable.

"Yes…?" Candace asked quietly.

"I know you're closed today, but I need to get in. I have the money and I need a beautiful dress for tonight's banquet," Hikari answered quickly, her words flowing out in a rush.

Candace opened the door more and Hikari ran inside. Candace was left at the door, blinking in surprise to how fast she had moved.

"Luna!" Hikari called.

From the back of the Tailor Shop, a door opened and out stepped a short, decked out in pink, girl—or, young woman. Luna. She had curly pink pigtails with flowers spread through it and a frilly pink dress. Sometimes Hikari laughed to herself about how much Luna looked like a porcelain doll. She could, in fact, be one.

"Hmm?" she said, bouncing out of the back, her curls flopping against her shoulders.

"I need a dress for tonight's dinner," Hikari said urgently.

Luna nodded and placed her hands on her hips. Raising one eyebrow, she said, "How fancy?"

"Fancy enough that I'll look presentable standing next to Gill."

Candace walked over to the sowing table while Luna was bargaining prices with Hikari.

"Fine, fine, whatever!" Hikari said, slapping the cash in Luna's hand.

Within seconds, Candace was holding up materials that she thought would look good on Hikari. Hikari was skeptical; she wasn't really fond of wearing dresses. But she chose, and was on her way out of the shop when she ran into something.

Or _someone…_

Looking up, momentarily stunned, she realized that the sweater vest, plaid shorts, and knee sock wall she ran into was none-other-than Gill, the mayor's son. Rumors that had been conspicuously started by Luna, were being told that Hikari and Gill were courting. Hikari knew it was out of jealously that she started it, but Gill begged to differ. He believed that they actually _were _a couple.

Convincing him otherwise was almost as hard as convincing Luke… Almost.

"Where were you last night? I heard about your accident," Gill said, placing his hands on his hips.

Hikari winced; she didn't really want to tell him anything about last night. "Oh," she said, laughing shakily, "I'm f-fine."

Gill raised one blonde eyebrow in suspicion. Hikari tried to walk around him but he grabbed her hand and blocked her in front of him. He felt good to have some power over her. He secretly knew she didn't like him as much as he liked her, but if he could keep a conversation going, then maybe she would end up liking him.

"Really? Because that's not what I heard. I heard you were having-"

Hikari gasped and cupped one hand over Gill's mouth. Pulling him aside she gave him a dark look. "Nothing happened. I don't know how or why you know but shut up about it!" Her voice was like acid, every word burning a hole through Gill.

He held up his hands in defense. "Alright, Hikari… I didn't know you having dinner with Luke's family was such a big secret. You always do so I didn't think it would matter…"

Hikari's face flushed. She smiled nervously. "Uh, yeah… Sorry, my head… Just a bit wacky from nearly drowning."

Gill gave her a sympathetic smile and wrapped his arms around her. Hikari just stood there, like a limp rag doll, waiting for him to let go. It wasn't a very pleasant hug and it probably looked as awkward as it felt.

"See you tonight," Hikari said hurriedly and rushed off towards her house with the dress in her hands.

What was so wrong with her hugging Gill? She shuddered at the thought, but she didn't know why. Gill wasn't a bad guy, he was really sweet after one got to know him. But definitely not compared to Luke…

_Curse these hormones_… Hikari thought as she slammed the door to her little farm house and let a few tears fall on the old carpet beneath her.

***

"Well don't you look sexy?" Kathy said, giggling as she ate chocolate truffles on Hikari's bed.

Hikari turned around and turned around again. She felt trapped in the masses of ruffles on her pink dress. She looked and felt like an expensive porcelain doll. Part of her hair was pinned back and tied up with a golden bow, while the rest of her brown hair sat happily curled on her shoulders.

None of the other girl's looked as fancy as she did… Renee was wearing a bright yellow sun dress. Slightly overwhelming but still cute for her. Kathy was sporting a tight green dress that looked two sizes too small and her hair was still up in a ponytail. But this time, it was curled.

Renee grabbed a yellow purse to match her dress and headed for the door. "Come on!" she said, pulling on Hikari and Kathy. "We're going to be late!"

Kathy quickly popped one more chocolate in her mouth before the trio was out the door. Hikari felt her hands get sweaty and her face turning probably every color under the sun. She was nervous but she didn't know why.

When they approached Town Hall, their eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. Streamers and lights were strung everywhere they could possibly be strung. A huge light up sign that said "100" sat on top of the Town Hall roof and glittered in the water below. It was elegant and Hikari felt out of place.

Kathy opened the door and the inside was even more beautiful than the outside. Chandeliers, candles, fancy tablecloths and utensils—beautiful, yet almost a bit too outdone.

"Hey, Kathy!" a voice called from somewhere in the brightly lit room. Fiery, spiky red hair could be seen towering over everyone. Owen. The blacksmith with a sweet side for Kathy that was larger than his muscles.

"Hey," Kathy answered sweetly and approached him.

Everyone knew they were made for each other, except Owen and Kathy. Hikari found this odd, but then again, a lot of people said the same about her and Luke. But they weren't-

"Renee?" another voice called.

Renee spun around and jumped into the arms of the lazy fisherman, Toby. They were courting and everyone was expecting Toby to pop the question soon. Hikari shook her head and sighed. Was it really that hard for her to find someone she loved?

"And then there was one," Hikari muttered to herself, scanning the crowd for someone she could hang out with.

"Yo," a voice said from behind her. She felt her heart start to flutter as relief shot down her spine.

"Luke!" she said and turned around to see the young carpenter, trying to smile back at her. "Luke…?" Hikari stifled a laugh.

Luke punched her arm affectionately. "Go ahead and laugh," he said. "Pops made me dress all fancy."

Fancy wasn't the exact word. He was wearing a suit but the sleeves were rolled up and he was still sporting his signature fire bandana. Fancy for Luke? Yes. Fancy for this party? No.

"Fancy huh?" Hikari said as she and Luke maneuvered through people—some people she had never seen before.

"A little too fancy if you ask me," Luke answered quietly.

Then, without warning, Luke started to slip his fingers through Hikari's. She looked down and felt her face turn scarlet. Luke seemed not to have noticed. He seemed to think nothing of holding her hand.

But Hikari did.

She bit her lip, worried that her hand was sweaty. "Uh, Luke?" she said after a moment.

"Yeah? What's up?" he asked casually, although Hikari could see a pink hue forming on his cheeks.

"What are you…?" She gestured towards their interlocked fingers.

"Oh, that? Um, just making sure that I didn't, uh, loose you in this crowd," Luke answered simply.

_Thanks? And how old am I again? _Hikari thought but smiled gratefully at him. She was grateful, grateful that she hadn't run into Gill all night. But of course, she jinxed herself.

"Hikari!" Gill called, pushing his way through the crowd. Luke quickly dropped her hand and a sour expression settled on his normally cheerful face.

"Hello, Gill," Hikari answered, trying to smile at him.

"You look—_stunning_! Simply _beautiful_!" Gill said, clasping his hands together.

Hikari held up one side of her dress with her hand. "Um, thanks…" she muttered.

Luke wasn't looking at them. He looked like he was trying to be absorbed in whatever conversation Simon and Hamilton were having about adding a "film festival" to the calendar sometime soon.

"I was gonna say that," Luke whispered to Hikari and she patted his back gently.

Gill took her hand but she didn't blush. Knowing that the heated sensation did not occur, she glanced at Luke. His mouth was twitching, about to turn into a grin. She had half a mind to stamp on his foot with her extremely uncomfortable high heels, but decided against it as Gill led her to the dance floor.

He took her hand and she felt incredibly stupid standing next to him. She had never danced with a boy before, let alone someone who could dance really well. She didn't want to make Gill look bad, but she wished that if she did dance badly, Gill wouldn't ask her to attend special events with him.

"It's easy," Gill whispered as the music started.

_Psh, thanks so much… _Hikari thought bitterly, staring at her feet—trying not to trip. She looked out into the crowded room and saw Luke standing by the buffet table. Luke caught her gaze and winked. She looked away, feeling her face get hot.

Then Hamilton stepped up to the microphone and Hikari sighed with relief. _No more dancing! Thank you Hamilton!_

Hikari started to walk away from the dance floor but Gill grabbed her hand. Hamilton cleared his throat loudly and tapped on the microphone with his chubby fingers. "It is now time for the Harvest Goddess Dance. Ladies, it's your choice."

Gill turned around and Hikari felt him let go of her hand. She smiled and wanted to mouth the words "thank you" to Luna, but she didn't have the heart. Luna led Gill away, her hair bouncing along with her fluffy dress.

_And I thought my dress had too many ruffles… _

Hikari was sticking out like a sore thumb. Everyone else had a dance partner and she personally did not want to dance anymore. Or at least not in high heels. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for some way to step out for a bit.

She caught Luke's gaze again and he motioned her to follow him outside. Nodding, she met up with Luke at a running pace and the two started to walk down the pier together.

Hikari's eyes grew wide as she remembered the water was pitch black. She felt herself gravitating towards Luke, as if trying to look for some sort of reassurance that everything would be okay.

She felt his hand slip through hers. He always knew what she was thinking. But she wondered if he did now. She was so confused. She was supposedly dating Gill, supposedly slept with Luke; she was holding hands with Luke while her date was back at a party dancing with her friend.

She looked away, on the verge of tears, afraid to have Luke see her cry. "What's up?" he asked, playing with her fingers gently.

"N-nothing," she answered and forced a smile at him.

"I know you, you wanna cry. Go ahead, I don't care," Luke said, holding out his arms and waiting for Hikari to collapse into them.

She nodded but didn't let a single tear fall, not even as Luke was hugging her. "You look really dorky in that suit, Luke," she whispered, laughing quietly.

"Oh yeah?" he said and grabbed her hand before rushing her down to the beach. He took some sand in his hand and threw it at her.

She screamed and picked some up, laughing and throwing it at him. She kicked off her high heels and ran over to Luke, letting him catch her in his strong arms. She never felt more safe and happy than she did when she was with Luke.

But what did that mean? She wasn't sure yet.

He set her down and she looked straight into his big, golden eyes. She placed her hands on his chest and stood on her tiptoes. Luke's eyes fluttered shut as he placed his hands on her waste. She leaned forward until she could feel his breath against her cheeks.

If reality would have melted away at that second, she would have kissed him. And the scary part was, she _wanted_ to. And whether he wanted to or not, she would never know because they both opened their eyes at the same time before anything happened.

"What are we-?" Luke asked, his face scarlet.

"I don't know! Being stupid, hormonal young adults," Hikari answered and flopped onto the sand.

Luke sat beside her and started to play with the buttons on his suit. She smiled, a new thought hatching in her brain. "Wanna stay out here tonight? At least until the party ends?"

Luke grinned his signature grin at her. "Duh!" he exclaimed. "Anything to keep me from that party run by Mister I-Can-Dance-Better-Than-Anyone." He was obviously referring to Gill.

Hikari couldn't keep herself from laughing this time. She laughed so hard that tears started to well up in her eyes. But these tears could have been from the sadness she felt earlier.

She was tired of feeling upset. Tired of trying to choose between conflicting emotions. Wasn't all that stuff supposed to happen when you're a teenager? She was tired of trying to impress Gill. Tired of the dress she was wearing and tired of being angry at herself! This island was supposed to be peaceful and carefree but everyday Hikari felt worse.

But after the stupid elegant party, elegant dresses and suits, she felt better. And was it because of Luke? Absolutely. Was it because they almost kissed? Possibly…

**So, did that tingle your fangirl/boy senses? Why didn't I make them kiss? Because that would make the story go by way to fast and I've got some tricks up my sleeve! Luke was super sweet in this chapter. Makes me want him to be my boyfriend even more! Oh, and I'm not taking a stab at Gill or anything. He's pretty damn sweet sometimes. (or so I've heard) Anyway, thanks for reading! The next chapter will come soon! Hopefully sooner than the last one...**


	4. Confusion

**Hello everyone! I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has reviewed/favorited ect.! I got a review asking why Hikari didn't just dump Gill and move on with Luke-- hopefully, this chapter will sort of explain it. Plus, "Blue Roses", I'm hoping, is going to have a lot of chapters. So, enjoy chapter 4!**

The party had ended around two hours ago. The lights were all turned off and everyone was back home. Except the two that sat in the cold sand, murmuring to each other and watching the black sea sweep closer to their feet.

Hikari and Luke.

"Your turn," Luke said, grabbing Hikari's hand as they started to thumb wrestle again.

"Tell me something you've never told anyone before," Hikari answered, pinning his thumb down with her own.

"I tell you everything, Hikari," Luke said, shaking his head and letting his shaggy azure bangs flop around his forehead.

"I bet not everything."

Luke laughed slightly for a moment. "Okay, fine. When I get the guts, I'm going to ask Selena to go out with me."

Hikari choked. "Wait—what?"

Luke sighed and flopped onto the sand, placing his hands behind his head. "Yep. I think I'm in love with her."

Hikari scoffed and Luke looked up at her with a confused expression. "Seriously? You just love her body."

Luke sat up and grabbed Hikari's hands with a semi-serious expression on his face. "Well, I'm sure I'll love her personality too!"

Hikari took her hands away and brought her knees to her chest. Even though Luke didn't know it, and she was still skeptical about it herself, she felt like someone had taken her heart and crushed it into a million pieces. She knew that she shouldn't be so protective of Luke, but she couldn't help it. For some reason, it seemed like she was the one who he should be fawning over—not some slutty dancer at the bar. But again, she didn't really have a right to be so jealous.

"What?" Luke said after a moment of silence between them.

Hikari mentally slapped her hand to her forehead. Was he really _that_ oblivious?! "Nothing," Hikari said, shaking her head. "Nothing at all."

"Luke? Hikari? You two down here?" a worried voice called.

It was Bo.

The strands of blonde hair that stuck straight up on his head could be seen bobbing up and down as he walked along the pier. Hikari thought he was the most adorable seventeen-year-old she had ever seen. He had emerald green eyes and cute freckles that dotted his nose. She had kissed his cheek before leaving Luke's Christmas morning and he had turned scarlet. Luke picked on him but Hikari knew that he was secretly glad to have someone even remotely close to a brother.

"Damn it," Luke whispered.

"What?" Hikari whispered back.

"I don't wanna go back home. Pops is gonna chew me out for not staying for the whole party," he answered as they crouched low in the sand, trying to become invisible among the shadows.

"Then just tell Bo tha-"

"Shut up!" Luke hissed and cupped one hand to her mouth.

Hikari felt an urge to bite his hand because he was acting rude, but she resisted. They crawled along the sand until they came to a small cave. A cave one could only get to by wading in the water a short distance.

Hikari froze as her feet touched the water. There was no way she was going through with that. So she stood in the sand, letting the waves brush her feet, frozen like a statue.

"Hikari!" Luke whispered. He was knee deep in the dark water. "What's wrong? C'mon!"

Hikari shook her head, hoping her would see in the dark. She knew he was rolling his eyes at her, but she didn't care at the moment. Bo's voice was drawing closer and Luke quickly waded back to the shore for Hikari.

"You're coming with me whether you like it or not. And I'll kill you if you scream," Luke whispered.

Hikari nodded silently and Luke picked her up and tried as quietly as he could to get her to the cave. He set her down and flopped on the damp inside of the cave floor.

"I don't hear him anymore," Luke said, his chest heaving.

Hikari was silent as she crawled over to Luke. She took one hand, hesitated for a moment, and brushed his bangs out of his face. He looked at her with a confused expression and then let his eyes close. He shivered and Hikari could see hot tears starting to sting his eyes.

"Luke?" Hikari said with a slight uncertainty. She never saw Luke cry, never even saw him come close to crying before. What changed? Hikari remembered what Dale had said; maybe this was one of his 'changes'.

"S-sorry," he stammered.

Hikari grabbed one of his hands and laced her fingers through his, rubbing the top of his hand with her thumb. "What's wrong?"

He opened his eyes but there was no sign of tears in the pools of his magnifying golden eyes. Maybe Hikari had imagined it? "Nothing…"

"Seriously Luke? I've known you for years and you expect me to believe that nothing's wrong?" Hikari laughed slightly.

Luke smiled. "I dunno. I just get all emotional lately."

"That's not always bad."

"Oh yeah?" Luke said, raising one eyebrow at her.

Hikari felt her face flush and hoped Luke wouldn't see. "Yeah." Her voice was barely a whisper.

Luke smiled and ran his fingers through Hikari's brown hair. She looked confused but didn't speak. He lifted his head and Hikari leaned in. Neither knew what was going on but they were letting whatever "it" was proceed.

Luke sat up and Hikari crossed one of her arms across his chest and rested it on the cave floor. Suddenly, in a rush, he was kissing her. Running his fingers through her hair, breathing heavily. And Hikari was letting him. Then, he opened his mouth and she opened hers.

Why were they kissing? Hikari felt weak and lightheaded. _Breathe through your nose genius! _She thought and let her lungs fill with new air. However long the kiss went on was unsure, but all Hikari knew and felt was in a dizzying spiral that would have given anyone a headache if they tried to process it.

All Hikari knew was that she was kissing him passionately and letting her hands shift from his face to the cave floor back to resting on his chest. Then, after what seemed like a lifetime, Luke sat back, panting and smiling broadly.

"Ummm…?" was all Hikari managed. "You look good in pink lip gloss, Luke."

"Ha ha," he said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Wait—what were we doing exactly?"

Hikari's cheeks felt like they were on fire at this point. Luke and his damned innocent questions…

Hikari shook her head. What exactly_ were_ they doing? And _why_ were they doing it? "Kissing, i-if you can even call it that anymore."

Luke's eyes grew wide. "S-so that's what that was then, huh?" His cheeks were fiery red too and it looked as though the two of them had been out in the snow for hours without any warm clothing.

"Yep," Hikari answered as she watched Luke tumble backwards onto the cave floor again.

Placing his hands behind his head he said, "Well, at least I got my first kiss finally."

Hikari laughed but then stopped as Luke shot her a sideways glance. "Really? I was your _first_? How old are you again?"

Luke didn't smile. "It's not funny, Hikari. It's embarrassing. When I was younger—like my early teenager years—I didn't really see things the way other guys saw them." He took a deep breath and unbuttoned his suit, revealing his chest. Hikari tried not to stare. "Girls were just girls. They didn't have cooties or anything and they weren't attractive to me. Remember, I grew up with the girls on the island."

Hikari nodded as a vision of Luke asking Renee to the school danced popped into her head. A pit of jealousy knotted in her throat but she didn't know why. It was only a fantasy after all.

Luke seemed unable to continue his thought. That was one thing that annoyed Hikari about him. He could never get to his point without forgetting what he was trying to say in the first place.

"So, what now?" Hikari asked.

"Like, about… us?"

Hikari nodded slowly. She loved Luke. She loved him more than anyone else on the island, but she couldn't bring herself to finally admit that she and Luke might be a couple. The thought scared her but she didn't know why.

She had a dream about Luke and herself once—everyone was dressed up so fancy and they were on the beach. Then, she saw herself, in a long white dress holding a bouquet of flowers, walking down the aisle. The dream was when she first met Luke, but she thought of it as just a crush. Another omen? Hikari didn't care to know.

"I guess we only have two choices. Forget this ever happened, or start… c-c-courting." Luke whispered the last word, like he was afraid that the words were even escaping his lips.

"What do you want?"

Luke shrugged and closed his eyes. Hikari guessed it was around two in the morning. She was tired herself.

"Well, if we were to… you know… court." Luke winced as Hikari mentioned that word. "Then maybe we'd be happy. Who knows? Luke, you know I love you—at least like a brother or a friend, so the worst that could happen was that we'd break up. We'd still be friends though… right?"

Luke shrugged again. Whenever Hikari needed him to talk, he never did and whenever she wanted him to stop, he wouldn't shut up. That boy was like a living, breathing migraine.

Hikari sighed deeply. "Alright, I'll let you sleep on it I guess. Frankly, I don't care. Whatever you choose is fine with me," she lied. Secretly, she had a preference but she wasn't about to tell Luke.

Luke smiled and sat up. With his face colored scarlet, he gently kissed her cheek and laid back down, his eyes shut. Hikari snuggled up next to him, she was cold and tired and alone.

All the thoughts of everything floated through her head. Gill. He really liked her. She couldn't say the same. Luke and Hikari's relationship was hanging by a thread and she was afraid that even though they were best friends, kissing the way they did could have ruined that. He'd never let her live it down! And if they started to date, it'd be awkward. She'd break Gill's heart and even though she didn't love him, she still would hate to see him upset.

Why did everything have to be so confusing? Hikari secretly wished to herself that it would all fade away and it would be just like it was two years ago. She was young and innocent, Luke was just Luke, and Gill annoyed the crap out of her. What changed? All three of them…

Hikari felt like crying, she felt like breaking down and just letting Luke hold her like he used to when she was upset. She had kissed him and she couldn't take it back now. So her eyes fluttered before she drifted off into a bitter sleep, dreaming and wishing with every inch of her body that when they woke up, Luke would have the answer to her questions—and it'd be the answer she wanted too.

After what seemed like seconds, the bright sunlight was peaking into the cave and Hikari opened her eyes. Luke was awake and he looked down at her and smiled.

"Morning sunshine!" he said.

Hikari smiled. "Morning." She sat up and rubbed her eyes, blinking groggily.

Luke slumped over to the cave edge, yawning and stretching. "Well," he said, "We might as well get going. Pops'll be worried."

Hikari nodded and she walked over to the caves edge. They jumped into the water and waded back to the shore. But of course, since this is Hikari's and Luke's life we're talking about, they weren't about to get off scot-free.

People were surrounding the beach. Even though there was a glare from the sun in Hikari's eyes, she could make out the shapes of Bo, Dale, Hamilton, and Gill. Hikari bit her lip. Why did Gill always have to be there?!

When they reached the shore, Hikari was sure she had heard Luke mutter every swear word in the book, including a few new ones she kept in the back of her head in case she needed them sometime.

"Luke," Dale said, sighing heavily and rubbing his head like he had a throbbing headache. He did, and that headache happened to be his own son and the emotional downfall in Hikari's life.

Luke grinned sheepishly. "Sorry pops. I was out for some… air."

Hikari glanced at Luke out of the corner of her eyes. _Yeah… Air…_ she thought. She then glanced at Gill. His face was twisted with a mixture of sadness and jealousy—like he knew what had happened.

"Let's get you home and clean you up," Dale said, grabbing Luke by the collar of his suit and dragging him off the shore like a little child. Bo followed their heels and Hikari looked after them longingly, wishing she would have to endure one of Dale's lectures instead of listening to Gill.

Hamilton waddled away, trying to look unhappy with the pair of "delinquents". He was probably wishing that secretly a wedding would be held soon, the island hadn't had one since Simon and Barbara's generation.

_Like hell that'll happen anytime soon… _

"Hikari," Gill said, sighing and staring down at the sand. "I like you. There I said it. A like you a lot. I just need you to tell me if you like me too."

Hikari opened her mouth to answer but no words came out. Her heart swelled with every unwanted emotion known to man, including a new one she had never felt before for anyone.

But she didn't feel it towards Gill…

Confusion bubbled up inside her and she felt like she were about to explode. Gill liked her? A lot? How's that for your lame confessions? But Hikari didn't say that. She couldn't, she'd break his heart. But she wasn't sure how much longer she could go pretending to be slightly interested in the mayor's dull, somewhat arrogant son.

"I," she stammered, wishing she could have been anywhere else but on the beach. "I'm sorry… I have to go."

_If there was a movie for my life, it'd win so many Oscars… _Hikari thought as she jogged away, holding the ripped ruffles on her dress so they wouldn't fall off.

**It's really fun writing what Hikari thinks! Just thought I'd throw that out there! Maybe soon I'll write a chapter just on her point of view... Ideas ideas! Anyway, I had them kiss because you all knew it was going to have to happen eventually! I didn't write Luke's reply now did I? Oh, there's a cliffhanger then! Reviews are greatly appriciated! They help the creative juices flow! Thanks so much for reading!**


	5. Cinderella

**Ah! It's been far to long since I've updated huh? Well writers block does that to a person! I'm sorry if this chapter stinks! I had about 4 different ideas and 4 different chapters written out! Finally, I took bits and pieces of each and stuck it together. But I think I've got something that will work with future chapters. I know what I want this story to be, it's just writing it that's the hard part! One more thing. When your reading the "Dancing" part of this chapter, go to youtube and listen to the song "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain. That's what I invisioned while I was writing this chapter and that's what I was listening to. Maybe it'll make more sense. Anyway, enjoy! Reviews are love! Oh yeah, it's told from Hikari's perspective!**

I ran. And I made sure to run as fast as I could back to my little farm house. What was wrong with me? I was so glad Dr. Jin wasn't around because he'd surely lock me up in the insane asylum the second he got the chance.

My eyes were watering with salty tears but I didn't know why. They stung as I ran, my lungs starting to feel like they'd bust out of my rib cage at any second. My heart was beating faster than ever before, but it wasn't from running.

Once I was far enough away from Gill, on my farm property, I stopped to catch my breath and examine my thoughts. I walked over to the beat-up picket fence lining the feeding grass. I boosted myself up and buried my face in my hands, letting the tears stream down my cheeks.

I kissed Luke. _Luke!_ My best friend on the island! And it wasn't your average peck-on-the-lips-to-show-appreciation kiss. It was an all-out kiss, tongue and all. But it felt good and for whatever reason, my body wanted to do it again and again. Maybe even more than that… But why was my head saying no?

I screamed loudly in frustration and all my animals lifted their heads and stared at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was.

***

"Dad we didn't do anything!" Luke whined, his father still dragging him throughout Garmon Mine District.

It was humiliating for Luke, who was a grown twenty-two year old man, to be dragged by his father up to their house. But that was Luke's life, and he should have been used to it. But he wasn't.

"Son, I don't give a damn about what you did and didn't do. Hikari is with someone! The _mayor's_ son!" Dale scolded, opening the door and then slamming it shut behind them.

"She's not with him," Luke argued, "She doesn't even like him!"

Dale stopped abruptly as he watched Luke flop onto the couch. "How do you know?"

Luke felt his face heat up as he remembered last night's events. "Lucky guess?" He closed one eye tight and winced slightly, hoping his father wouldn't notice.

"Luke," Dale said, sighing and shaking his head. "You and I both know that you know that Hikari doesn't like Gill for some reason."

Luke shrugged, his eyes shut tight, hoping his face wasn't as red and hot as it felt. He slowly opened his eyes again and Dale was still there with a frown plastered on his face. Luke shook his head, letting his bangs drape over his eyes so Dale wouldn't be able to pick up any hidden expressions in them.

Like love…

Dale sighed and Luke allowed himself to do a triumphant "whoop" and fist punch in the air inside his head. "So where were you last night? I had Bo search all over."

_Damn…_ Luke thought and the victorious feeling inside him died, replacing itself with that weird, twitchy feeling he felt a lot recently. "With Hikari."

Dale tried to stifle a scoff. "Oh, really," he said, sighing again. "I gathered that much last time. No, where _were_ you?"

"You know that cave right off the shoreline in Harmonica Town?" Luke said, his eyes focused on the ground, determined not to look at the expression on Dale's face.

"Mhmm," Dale grunted and nodded.

Luke could feel his heart starting to pound against his ribcage. He wondered if his dad could hear it. He was pretty sure everyone on the island could hear it. "And… yeah, that's where we were. Okay bye! Nice talking with you!" Luke said and dashed up the stairs, taking two at a time.

When he reached the top step, he faltered momentarily, praying that he wouldn't trip. Today had been embarrassing enough and it was only one in the afternoon! He ran into his bedroom, closed and flicked the lock on the door, and jumped onto his bed. Burying his head in his pillow, he cursed for a few minutes to himself. Then he felt his face flush. Hikari slept there once with him.

***

When I dragged myself out of the field, I felt worse than I had all day. It was almost like when you get a hangover, the night before feels fine and your body is in a rush, but the next day you just crash. Okay, well, that might not have been the best analogy, but you get my point right?

I scraped my feet along the old, torn up carpet and over to my bed. I flopped down on it, sending wafts of perfume, old hay, and must into my nose. Lovely combination if one hasn't smelled all three at the same time…

Just when I thought I was going to doze off again, the annoying ringing of the phone brought me back. I groaned loudly, hoping whoever was calling me would hear, and answered the phone.

"What?" I said grumpily, wishing I had caller ID.

"H-hey, Hikari," the voice on the other line stuttered.

I felt my face get hot and my heart start to pound a mile a minute. Of course, recently only one person had that effect on me. Luke.

"Hey, Luke. Did your dad chew you out?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest in an attempt to stop my heart from beating so fast.

"Kind of," he answered and paused for a moment. "I didn't tell him about our… our…"

"Kiss?" I offered, remembering in vivid detail of last night's events. His warm breath, his rapid breathing, his unbuttoned shirt… Our lips…

"Yeah, that…" Another pause. "Well, what are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing. Well, besides avoiding Gill nothing," I answered and heard him chuckle softly. "You really don't like Gill, huh?"

I could hear Luke shifting around uncomfortably on the other end of the line. I imagined him in his room talking to me and I felt my face heat up. If there was a record for "most times blushed in a day" I'd be the unbeatable winner!

"It's not that I don't like him," Luke started to say. He cleared his throat loudly and I made an "ick" face. "It's just that he likes you and that makes me…"

"Jealous," we both said.

Luke laughed nervously. "Yeah. But I don't know why. Anyway, I called over here to see if you wanted to do something with me tonight."

My heart started to skip a beat. Oh yes, yes, yes! A million times _yes!_ "I'd love to!" I answered, trying not to sound too ecstatic. "But… your dad."

"I'll sneak out! It'll be just like that cliché book you love—Romania and Julius!"

"Romeo and Juliet," I corrected, giggling at him.

"See ya tonight, Hikari! I-I…" he said and let the thought drop.

At that moment I felt my heart plunge into my throat. He wasn't about to say "I love you" right? He couldn't have. Could he?

"I'll see you then," I said and quickly hung the phone up.

Shivering, I rubbed my hands over my arms. He couldn't be telling me that he loved me. Not now. Not when everything was about to fall on my shoulders. I couldn't avoid Gill forever, but I couldn't tell him that I loved him if I really didn't. But I also couldn't avoid Luke because of my new feelings for him, or tell him I loved him and embarrass myself. Love, like really love him. But I couldn't be in love with Luke. Right?

But, no matter what was going on, I had to make it look like I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary for Luke. Which, mind you, I still wasn't sure I did. But I couldn't help glancing in the mirror a few times and wishing I had whatever Selena had that made Luke swoon. I shook my head angrily, there was no way I was going to let myself stoop to her desperate level. Okay, well, I didn't have to _dress _like I was desperate.

I walked into my little bathroom and flicked on the lights. My mirror was starting to crack and the shower had rust rings around the drain. I thanked Hamilton a thousand times for that…

I slowly grabbed for the door of the medicine cabinet where I hid all my makeup since I rarely wore any. My mind flashed back to Dale making me take a pregnancy test. For some reason, I wished that at that moment, Luke's little baby was cooing softly in my arms. I wished that he and I were more than friends…

I quickly shook the thought off as I finished putting mascara on my eyes and coconut-flavored lip gloss on my lips. I glanced back in my closet, wishing I could borrow some of Kathy's simple-but-sexy clothes. Not that it mattered anyway, Luke wouldn't care.

I don't know how long it took me to get ready. I didn't even bother dressing that fancy. I found a red sundress and put a little gold clip in my hair because it was messy enough already. By the time I stepped outside, Luke was sitting on the fence, wearing his normal attire and smiling at me.

"Hey!" he called.

I waved happily. "Hey! What's up?"

He hopped off the fence and his shirt snagged slightly on the pieces of chipped off wood, bringing his shirt up slightly. I tried not to stare. What the hell was wrong with me?!

The sun was setting again and I prayed with all my heart that nothing would happen to drastically change our relationship. Unless, of course, it was for the better. It was strange. Almost like a Cinderella-type story. Everything changed at night and then at midnight, it was like nothing ever happened.

Luke stood over me and brushed my bangs out of my face. He must have been at least a foot taller than I was. He shot up sometime over last summer and it was almost awkward standing next to him.

"Remember the night of Gill's party?" Luke asked, his voice on the edge of whispering.

I nodded, although I would have rather forgotten by now. I swallowed the lump that was growing in my throat. I was rather terrified of what he was going to say. The answer to my question… I almost hoped he wasn't going to answer it now.

"And they had the girl's choice dance?" Luke continued, a pink hue forming on his cheeks.

I nodded slowly. He hadn't danced with anyone though. Luckily enough, Selena didn't ask. We left before everyone had started dancing. "What's your point?" I managed, my voice cracking slightly.

"Well, I just thought than since you didn't get to dance with anyone d-decent. M-maybe you'd settle f-for me…" Luke whispered, scraping one of his boots against the dirt and not looking at me.

I placed my hand underneath his chin and he lifted his head. His face was bright red and I was pretty sure mine was too. "Of course I will," I whispered back and rushed into his arms.

He seemed momentarily stunned and then hugged me back. I was on my tiptoes, my arms around his neck. And we fit together perfectly, like a complete puzzle piece.

"Music?" I asked, looking around.

He shook his head and smiled. "No, but I'll warn you, I'm not a very good dancer."

"Me either," I answered and wrapped my arms around his neck as he placed his arms on my waste.

We started to silently dance. It was strange without music but also slightly more romantic. Without realizing it, I started to hear music. I looked around and saw a stereo in the middle of my field. No one was there. Luke looked around too but we continued to dance.

The song must have been meant for a couple, but while I listened to the lyrics, it sort of described mine and Luke's relationship. Then something caught my eye. Kathy was sitting in the grass, barely noticeable around all my animals. She was smiling and I mouthed "thank you" before burying my face into Luke's shoulder.

Then, before I knew it, Kathy had left and the stereo was gone. Luke's hand was grasping onto the zipper of my sundress. I gasped as his trembling hand started to unzip it. No, no, no! Not here! Not now! But once the dress was at my ankles, he stopped.

His eyes grew to the size of saucers and he placed his hands on his head. "No, no, no, no! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry! I-I-I don't know what I was thinking! Oh goddess! Damn your hot!" I stepped forward and gently brushed my lips against his.

"It's ok," I whispered and placed my hands on his chest.

"Hikari?!" a voice said from behind me and I practically jumped out my skin.

I didn't turn around. Unless Kathy had a drastic change in voice, it was a man. And he didn't sound too pleased. Luke stooped down and picked up my dress that was still around my ankles. I pulled it up and he zipped the back. We didn't say a word and the whole time I could hear the clomping of the shoes on the ground coming closer and closer. It had to have been Gill.

When he reached us, he placed his hands on his hips and Luke stifled a laugh. "So you don't like me then, Hikari?" he said.

I bit my lip. Two pairs of curious eyes were staring at me. Of course I had to make a decision right then! The day that Gill had asked?! I closed my eyes tight so no one could find any hidden expressions in them.

"No, no. I do like you Gill," I said.

I opened one of my eyes slightly and Luke looked taken back.

"But not like you like him!" Gill said, pointing a finger in front of Luke's face. Luke restrained from sticking out his tongue or pushing Gill's finger away.

I shook my head, feeling the tears starting to well up in my eyes. "Hikari, I don't know why you don't understand that Luke is an idiot! He failed all his classes in school, he never had a date for the dance—!"

"That makes two of us," Luke muttered.

"He dresses like a two-year-old who just started to pick out his own clothes! Hikari why?!" Gill pleaded.

I narrowed my eyes at Gill. "You can say all you want, you could be the most romantic person in the world and I still would never go out with you! Luke may not be smart and he may not have been the most popular, but he does have a good heart. And I'd take that over brains any day." With that, I turned around and walked into my house, slamming the door behind me.

I slumped down and buried my head in my knees. I let the tears flow and I let myself whimper in sheer misery. How could that have happened? Why did I let Luke go so far? Why did I tell Gill off? I considered taking my hoe and hitting myself in the head so I could be in a coma for the next week.

"Hikari?" a knock on my door roused me from my thoughts.

I stood up and wiped off the tears that were streaked down my cheeks, probably leaving a trail of blush and mascara. I slowly opened the door and Luke was standing there, smiling sympathetically at me.

"Hey," I whispered, my voice hoarse from crying.

"Yo," he answered and stepped inside my house.

He looked around my house for a moment and decided to sit down at my little wooden stools that were circled around my cracked wooden table. I sat beside him and slumped down in my chair, determined not to cry again.

"What happened after I left?" I asked.

Luke smiled and I hoped it was nothing I'd regret. "He just said he'd wait until you were ready for him…"

"And?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

Luke grinned his signature grin. I didn't have the heart to blush. "He said a few words that I won't repeat. Let's just say that in a swearing contest, I'd blow him away."

I shook my head. "You're bad."

"About your dress…" he started but I placed one finger on his lips.

I took a deep breath, wondering about what I was going to say. I wondered if what I was going to say would be the right choice in the long run. I was miserable. I figured that it wouldn't hurt. This is the kind of thing that belongs on a teen-soap opera, but it was life and I was ready for it. At least, I thought I was.

"Come back tomorrow night," I said, trying to remember what products the General Store sold. "I'll call you and tell you what to bring."

Luke looked at me with uncertainty. I wondered if he knew what I was saying. I hoped he did. And I hoped he was okay with it. But most of all, I hoped that after tomorrow, everything would still be normal in a month.

He nodded. "Hikari… I'm ready. I'm gonna show you that I'm not a little boy anymore like when you first met me."

I smiled and hugged him tightly. "I know. I've always known you were."

He stood up and pushed the chair out from the table. He walked over to the door and turned the handle. He looked back and smiled at me and I managed a smile back. After he was gone and all the tears had dried up, my phone rang. My cell phone. No one on the island had my number—except for Luke and he had just left.

"Hello?" I said, picking up the phone with a confused tone in my voice.

"Cinderella?" the other voice said.

"Dad?!" I said, my voice rising with excitement.

"Hey princess," he said and I could tell he was smiling. "How's the farm?"

"Good," I lied. "Daddy, am I ready to fall in love?" My voice broke.

I heard him take a deep breath. I wished that he could be here giving me advice. I hadn't talked to him since I decided to leave. It broke his heart and I didn't want to deal with that. "Only you can answer that sweetheart… You know how you came along. I thought I loved your mother at the time. I really did. But when she left me with you, I realized the only good thing that came from what we did was you. Hikari, I want you to listen to your heart. Don't make the same mistakes that I did. It sounds cliché, but you'll know when you're in love. You'll feel comfortable with that person, you'll always want to be with them—and it's the other way around too. They'll feel the same for you."

"So you don't have to have—"

I heard him chuckle on the other end. I missed him so much… "No… Trust me. And whoever he is better be treating you well or I'll come down here and he'll have to deal with me."

I laughed. "Thanks dad. I love you and miss you so much!"

"Me too princess. Me too." My eyes started to sting with tears.

"Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"Promise me that you'll come to my wedding when I'm ready to get married. Promise me you'll walk down the aisle with me."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

When we were done talking I knew what I had to do. I knew what decision I had made. Even though he had never fallen in love, he still knew what to say. And it helped me realize what was going on inside me. I would tell Luke tomorrow and I would tell Gill sometime soon…

**The chapter was called "Cinderella" because of the song by Steven Curtis Chapman. I wanted to throw Hikari's dad in there because I wanted him to help her make decisions. It'll all work out eventually, trust me! I also enjoyed the little tiff between Luke/Hikari/Gill. I would've written what Luke and Gill said to each other, but I was writing from Hikari's perspective due to all the people who wanted a chapter narrated by her. It was fun! Writing from 1st person is a nice change! Anyway, it sort of wasn't my favorite chapter and it's a bit of a filler, so please don't flame or forget about this story! Thanks!**


	6. Forever

_**I'm back and I'm updating! After spending five minutes trying to get the "bold" button to work, (it only works if I press the "italic" button too for some reason...), I have officially updated!!!! The last chapter sort of set something up between Hikari and Luke--some naughty behavior if you remember. So, read on and you'll find out! Thanks! Oh, and as always, enjoy and review!**_

Hikari yawned and stretched. It was the middle of the night still. She had barley gotten any sleep and she wondered if Luke had. Why the hell did she tell Luke she'd call him later? And about _that _too? She looked out her old, dusty window to see a faint crescent moon glittering back at her. She closed her eyes tight and realized that a few tears had fallen from the tips of her eyelashes. With her eyes shut tight and her fists clenched, she started to whisper, "Please, please, someone, anyone, if you can hear me, tell me what to do!" She wasn't sure if she believed in the Harvest Goddess, but if the goddess was real, maybe she could help. She sighed. _This is ridiculous…_

She rolled over to one side, wondering what Luke was doing—probably sleeping. Any sane person would be asleep at three in the morning on a work day.

***

Luke was covered in his blankets. They were thrown over his stomach, his feet dangling off the other side of the bed, and he was hanging off one of the sides of his bed. His mouth was open and he was staring at the ceiling. He wasn't sure how long he had been like that, but it was long enough to count all the tiles on the ceiling. Everyone was probably asleep. The last time he had checked his clock it was one in the morning; that was hours ago.

He wondered about Hikari. If she really meant what she said, how would he be able to sneak it past Dale and Bo? Barbara, the general store owner, kept close tabs on everything the customers bought. He remembered Kathy when had gotten in trouble with her dad for buying birth control pills a few months ago. He couldn't remember what happened to Owen after Kathy's dad got a hold of him.

He shook his head. Why did he even agree to it? He had just had his first kiss. How was he supposed to know how anything worked? Sure, they had been taught everything about "puberty" back in junior high, but they didn't explain how to do it. Luke felt like an idiot. He wondered if Hikari knew how. Probably not, but it still didn't reassure him much.

"Luke?" a timid voice whispered from outside his bedroom door.

Luke sat up in his bed, clutching his sheets tightly. A ghost? Luke wasn't sure he believed in ghosts. It could be something worse. Something like…

"Bo?" Luke said, squinting to try and figure out who the shadow in front of him was.

Sure enough, a little blonde boy stepped into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. He looked tired and Luke could make out bags underneath his brilliant green eyes.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Uh, sure," Luke answered and patted the edge of his bed, motioning Bo to sit beside him.

Bo sat and the bed creaked. Sighing, he whispered, "I need help."

"With what?" Luke answered, frowning slightly. What could he need help with at three in the morning?

"There's this girl…" Bo starting, twiddling his thumbs. Luke sighed. In case Bo hadn't noticed, Luke had never dated anyone before. "I don't talk to her much, and I think she likes you. How do I tell her I like her?"

"Who is it?" Luke asked, suddenly confused. A girl liked him? Liked him like _that?_ He did a quick scan through everyone in town. Selena? There was no way.  
"Hikari," Bo answered calmly.

Luke choked in surprise and fell off of the bed. Bo gasped and his cheeks colored. When Luke stood up again, his bandana was covering one of his eyes and he looked rather flustered.

"H-H-Hikari?" Luke said again, cupping his hands to his ear as if he hadn't heard Bo right the first time.

Bo nodded and hung his head. "I know it's stupid 'cause she's so much older than me. But I love the way her brown eyes light up whenever she's excited, and the way she smiles so brightly at you."

"Her bottom half isn't bad either," Luke muttered.

"What?"

Luke quickly realized what he was saying and he blushed a deep red. "Nothing, nothing." He cleared his throat in embarrassment. "So what should we do about your little crush?"

"Does she like me back?" Bo asked, his eyes hopeful.

Luke bit his bottom lip and started to fidget. He didn't want to tell Bo that there was no way, but he also didn't want to tell him yes. Secretly, he was overjoyed that Hikari might like him, but he didn't want to hurt Bo.

"Damn this is confusing!" Luke yelled suddenly. Bo raised an eyebrow at him. Luke smiled sheepishly. "Um, I think I'd ask her for yourself."

Bo's head hung even lower, so low in fact, that Luke was afraid it might detach itself from his neck. "I know that you're only being nice, that there's no chance for us, but thanks anyway."

Luke opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He reached his hand out to pat Bo's back but dropped it and just sat there in silence with his hands placed on his thighs. Bo smiled weakly and walked out.

_If I ever have a son, I need to remind myself to read up on parenting books first… _Luke thought as he lay back down, his eyes still open, unwilling to let him sleep even for a little while.

***

Hikari groaned as her alarm clock sounded loudly. Her eyes were sore from being kept open all night and her head was aching. She managed to look out the window and sure enough, the sun was rising on Castanet Island, large and pink like a big cherry blossom.

Hikari wondered if she should call Luke. He was probably still asleep, but she could give it a shot. She picked up the phone and gingerly pressed the buttons to dial his home phone.

The ringing subsided and someone answered. Hikari waited for someone to say something but all she could hear was the TV in the background. Then she heard running and then a crashing and rolling sound. Raising one eyebrow in suspicion, she pressed the phone in between her shoulder and her ear as she started to cook breakfast. When everything was silent again, she heard a door creak and someone cleared their throat.

"Yo?" It was Luke.

Hikari wasn't sure why, but his voice made her heart start to flutter. Rolling her eyes at herself, she said, "Hey, Luke. Sorry to wake you so early…"

Luke laughed slightly. "Nah, it's ok. I was up all night anyway."

"You too?" Hikari said, twirling the phone cord around one of her fingers absently.

"Mhmm," Luke answered. "Sooo, umm, what are we gonna do about today?"

"Come to my house, like, as soon as you can," Hikari said, turning around and looking at the clock.

It was early, but the sooner she made a decision, the better it would be. She didn't want to change her mind, it'd be too confusing.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," Luke answered and Hikari choked on her juice.

"Oh, okay," she said, letting a nervous giggle escape her lips. "Seeya then."

The dial tone sounded and Hikari sighed, slumping down into one of the chairs. She couldn't believe it. Luke was ready. And why? She hoped he wasn't trying to prove anything to her. She hoped it was because he loved her. But he didn't, he couldn't. Could he?

Hikari wasn't sure how long she sat at the table, her hand running through her hair, holding her bangs up. When the doorbell rang, Hikari wasn't sure she was awake. Maybe it was all a dream? Hikari hoped it was. But for some reason, she was glad it wasn't.

When she opened the door she saw Luke, standing there, grinning at her…with his shirt off. Hikari hoped he didn't see her eyes widen. If she ever went back to the city, she was going to tell everyone who wanted to lose weight and become ripped to go be a lumberjack.

"Luke?" Hikari said, and Luke smiled brightly at her. "Why, umm, do you have your shirt off?"

"Why not? It adds effect!" Luke answered, shrugging like it was no big deal. Of course, _he_ thought it was no big deal. But to Hikari, it was like giving a starving man a roasted turkey.

"Get in here!" Hikari said, grabbing his arm and pulling him inside.

Rolling his shoulder because of Hikari's hard yank, Luke just stared at her, smiling with a weird, lopsided grin on his face. Of course, it made Hikari blush, and of course, she did her best to hide it.

"Sooo, Luke," Hikari started, clapping her hands together.

"Sooo, Hikari," Luke answered, grinning at her.

Hikari raised an eyebrow at him and smiled back. Walking over to him she placed her hand on his chest and ran her finger down his perfectly carved abs.

_Hercules? Who needs him when you've got Luke!_ Hikari thought, smiling to herself.

Luke's eyes widened and he inched away from Hikari. He placed his hands on his head and spun around once, like he was trying to shake off his nervousness. When he turned back around to face Hikari, a pink hue was dancing on his cheeks.

"I-I don't know why I'm acting like this… I-I'm sorry," Luke said, shaking his head like he was disappointed in himself.

Hikari touched his arm sincerely, although it did make him jump slightly. She took his hand and brought him over to her bed. That was where it could all end. Right then, right there. Hikari was scared to death; she could practically feel Luke shaking beside her. And although she was sure it could work out, she was still terrified.

Luke started to breathe heavily. _Totally not helping the situation, Luke… _Hikari thought as she bit her bottom lip.

"You…ready?" Luke asked suddenly, placing one of his hands on her thigh.

Hikari gasped and held her breath for a moment. Then, in a rush, Luke's hands were running through Hikari's hair. His lips placed firmly but gently against hers. And before she knew what was happening, Luke had pinned her to the bed. She could have stopped if she wanted to. But the thing was, she didn't want to—didn't want to stop for the next year or so.

After much heavy breathing and little touches here and there, Luke stopped and pulled away. His goofy, lopsided grin hanging on the edge of his lips. Hikari couldn't help but smile at him in the dorkiest way she could.

She sighed, looking out the window at the sun, which had risen into the beautiful sun that Castanet Island was lucky enough to see.

"Umm," Luke said, blushing and grinning nervously. "This is kind of embarrassing but I'm not sure how the rest…umm, works."

Hikari laughed out loud. "Really?!" Then, realizing Luke looked downcast, she softened her tone. Grabbing his hand and lacing her fingers through his, she smiled at him. "I laughed because I was relieved. I don't know how to either!"

Luke's eyes lit up and he smiled—a real, signature Luke smile. Hikari smiled back. She liked making him happy, and for some reason, she was completely relieved. She remembered what her dad had said to her and she knew she should wait. Just in case Luke was "the one", she was going to wait.

"What now?" Luke asked, looking at Hikari curiously with his big golden eyes.

"Friends?" Hikari said, smiling.

Luke nodded. "Forever."

Hikari wasn't sure whether or not she was disappointed. She thought that maybe she'd be disappointed later, but until then, she was happy to have Luke for her friend. And besides, even if they only stayed friends, she still had her "moments" with him.

Luke suddenly embraced her in a tight hug and Hikari sighed heavily. "I love you, Hikari," he whispered and Hikari felt her face flush.

"I love you too, Luke," Hikari answered earnestly.

She knew Luke didn't mean it that way, but he did mean it. Even though he was dense, he knew that one wasn't supposed to hand out the word love. Luke's dad had raised him well enough for him to know when he was supposed to use that word.

"I've got an idea," Luke said suddenly as the two pulled away from each other.

"What's that?" Hikari asked, absently tracing her fingers on the intricate patterns of her bedspread.

"Meet me out by the entrance to that little blocked off path next to my house tomorrow, okay? It's really awesome back in that forest! My pops said it was made in honor of the goddess, so maybe it'd be a cool place to talk and have lunch and stuff."

"I'd love that," Hikari said, hugging him once more.

Luke stood up and walked over to Hikari's kitchen table. He picked up the bag he had brought in—supposedly it was going to be used for protection—and he walked out the door.

Turning around he said, smiling and blushing, "That was amazing, even if was only a little bit of it."

It was then that Hikari felt her heart plunge into her throat. Nodding and smiling weakly, she felt her hands get clammy. As Luke walked out of the door, whistling—still with his shirt off—and when he was out of sight, Hikari raced to the phone. Picking it up, she frantically punched the numbers in on the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Renee, I've got a problem." Hikari looked out the window at a blurry figure walking along the path to Garmon Mine District.

"What's that?"

"I think I'm in love with Luke."

**_How's that for a cliffhanger?! I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I did and I hope this chapter will satisfy some of your needs! The only problem with this was that there is no lemon. (And please don't leave comments complaining about it!) First of all, I'm not old enough to have the "knowledge" so to say of writing lemon stories. I'd much rather read them then write a ridiculous mess of a chapter about something I've never personally done. And my story is rated T. If I added lemon it'd have to be rated M. So you all got some "lime", I think... Anyway, the part with Bo was added because I wanted to express Luke's hidden feelings when he was away from Hikari. Even if it sounds stupid, it was still important. And I will try to update sooner! I got my report card, all A's and B's so I can update faster again!!! Reviews are soooo much love! They make me update faster too! Thanks for reading!_**


	7. Blue

**I want to appologize for not updating! I really don't like filler chapters, like this one, so I sort of put it off... However boring this chapter may be, exciting ones are soon to come. I just have to get over the "hump" to get to where I want to go. As always, reviews are appriciated! I hope you haven't forgotten this story! By the way, this chapter isn't purly "filler", it has some significance to it--like the first mention of the title "Blue Roses"**

Hikari waited for a reply. She felt hot, like her world was spinning out of control.

"You're…in love…with…_Luke_?" Renee asked, sounding very confused.

"I think so," Hikari answered, feeling her face flush and bowing her head in frustration. Then, feeling rather childish, Hikari asked the question no one seemed to have a good answer to. "How do you know when you're in love?"

Renee was courting Toby, the local fisherman. Hikari had never seen anyone so in love before. Renee was also eight months pregnant with his child. Surely, if they stuck together after that announcement, Renee and Toby must have been doing something right with their relationship.

"Well," Renee said thoughtfully. Hikari could tell a smile was gracing her lips as she thought. "You want to be with them all the time and you get this weird feeling in the pit of your stomach. They always make you happy and there isn't any way you can bring yourself to be mad at them…"

Hikari gasped as her breath got caught in her throat. Pushing her hair behind her ear, she said, "Renee?"

"Hmm?" Renee answered softly.

"I love Luke," Hikari concluded.

The words sounded so sweet, they flowed off her tongue and left a pleasant ring behind. Hikari couldn't stand it. How could she be in love with Luke? He had never done anything to make her love him. _Yeah right… He's my best friend, he saved my life, he kissed me, and we almost made love! _Hikari thought, trying to convince herself that her feelings were real.

Renee was silent for a moment. "I know," she said. "I see the way you look at him. Your smile and the way your eyes light up. It's obvious to everyone except you and Luke. So, what will you do?"

"What will I…do?" Hikari asked, more to herself than to Renee.

"Yes. Now that you know you're in love with him, what will you do?"

Hikari threw her hands up in frustration. "I don't know! That's why I called you!" Then, sighing, Hikari calmed herself down. "I'm sorry, Renee. I didn't mean that…"

"I know, sweetheart," Renee said sympathetically. "I'm sure you'll figure something out, you always do. I hate to cut this conversation short, but I'm scheduled for an appointment with Dr. Jin. My baby's been kicking a lot lately and I think Toby wants to know the gender."

Hikari giggled. "Alright, thanks. Good luck with everything."

The dial tone sounded and Hikari put the phone down. With her cheeks puffed out, she let out a long sigh and ran her fingers through her brown hair. Tomorrow she was going to go see Luke again. Tomorrow she could tell him that she was in love with him.

But she didn't know if she could do it.

Luke had made it back to his house without any problems from anyone. Being accident prone, he figured something was bound to happen to him. Unfortunately, he had forgotten to put his shirt back on.

"Luke?" a girly, yet somewhat mannish voice called out.

"Hmm?" Luke said, looking around to see who called him.

Rolling his eyes, Luke met the voice who had called him. Julius. The town transvestite—or as he liked to call himself, the town "artist". Luke had never liked Julius much. In school, he always tried to be friendly to everyone but Julius was just too mean to poor Luke. Luke remembered one time when he had drawn a picture of the Harvest Goddess for art class and Julius laughed at it. Ever since then, Luke and Julius had never gotten along.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Luke said, "What do you want?"

Julius giggled and Luke cringed. _Only girls should laugh like that…_ Luke thought as Julius pranced up towards him. Placing his hands on his hips, Julius' lips curved into a grin.

"Where were we going without a shirt my dear imbecile?" Julius asked, clicking his tongue like he was ashamed with Luke.

"Nowhere," Luke answered, shoving Julius aside.

Tiptoeing back in front of the poor carpenter, Julius planted his boots firmly in the ground—doing so with much exaggerated gesticulation. "Doesn't seem like 'nowhere' now does it? Surely you weren't down at Hikari's house?"

Luke's gaze hardened on the smug, girly man. "Look, it doesn't matter where I was or what I was doing. Why do you care anyway?"

Julius snorted. "Hmph. If it isn't obvious to you already then I guess there's no point in telling you." With that, he started to walk back towards the Accessory Shop, his hand placed proudly on his hip.

Luke ran towards him, confused and feeling belittled, and he spun Julius around. "What do you mean?"

Julius grinned evilly and it made Luke cringe, feeling stupider than ever before. Luke wondered what he was talking about. Maybe it was the same thing Bo talked about earlier? Was he the only one who was oblivious to these…_feelings _Hikari had?

"Obviously, something is going on between you and Hikari," Julius answered simply. As if it was that simple!

Luke started to roar with laughter. Clapping Julius on the back, he said, "Oh, no, no, no! You've got it confused! We're best friends!"

Julius raised one eyebrow at the confused carpenter. "For now."

"What do you mean 'for now'?! Hikari isn't gonna dump me if Gill, like, asks her to marry him or something!"

Julius shook his head, apparently amused by poor Luke floundering around, utterly confused. "No, I mean, she's in love with you and you're in love with her."

Luke felt his face flush. "What?! No, I, Hikari and me, she's, no!"

Julius grinned a creepy, Cheshire cat grin. Luke cringed, feeling very uncomfortable. "Love" wasn't really in his range of knowledge.

"Alright, whatever you say Luke," Julius breathed, making the hairs on the back of Luke's neck stand straight up. "Just don't come crying to me when Hikari gets tired of waiting for you to figure it out."

As Luke watched Julius happily prance away, he felt stupid and confused. Hikari didn't love him like that. She couldn't. He was just…Luke. He was no one special. He didn't have any special talents or charms. It was always "oh look, it's Luke the goofball," or, "hey Luke, when are you gonna stop clowning around?". Never Luke the sweetheart or Luke the romantic.

Except with Hikari. She thought he was sweet, right?

However long the day had gone on for Hikari was unsure. She went to bed at some point and then woke up the next morning. But all she really knew was that she was walking up the path in Garmon Mine, wearing a blue and green spaghetti-strapped shirt and short blue jean shorts.

Luke had told her to meet him here? She had never been back to the Goddess Pond. She wondered if it was even aloud. Would the Harvest Goddess get angry with them?

Probably not.

Hikari was inching slowly but surely towards the entrance to the pond. She was slightly scared, she didn't know what to expect, and her knees were trembling. Suddenly, she felt something covering her eyes and she screamed.

She froze and then heard a booming laugh. "Gotcha!" was the response she received.

Still stunned, Hikari didn't laugh; rather, she spun around and slapped Luke on his arm. "Luke, why the hell did you do that?!"

Luke broke out into a wide grin. "'Cause I thought it was funny! You should've seen your face!"

Hikari frowned and started to pout like a little child. Luke raised an eyebrow at her. "Aw c'mon, you seriously can't be mad at me?! …Right?"

The side of Hikari's mouth curved into a grin. "No, I guess not…"

Then she turned around to face Luke. He was almost, if not already, a foot taller than she was, her head barely reached his shoulder. But this gave her an advantage to scold him. She took her finger and poked at his chest, one poke for every word she said. "Do not ever do that again."

Luke held up his hands in defense. "Alright, alright. I promise." Then he smiled. "Well, we better get going! The pond is so amazing, you have to see it!"

Luke grabbed Hikari's wrist and pulled her into the pond entrance. Her eyes widened. It looked almost like a picture of ancient Rome, taken out of its book and placed on Castanet Island. There was lush, green grass growing through the cracks of the grayish tile flooring. Two ponds of crystal clear water were on each side of a tile bridge. The tiled bridge led up to a small opening surrounded by tall columns that could have been inside a coliseum in Rome.

"Luke," Hikari said, unable to take everything in. "This is…amazing!"

Luke smiled, rather satisfied with himself. "Yeah, I've been coming here for years. Apparently this is the Harvest Goddess memorial, but I'm sure she won't mind."

Then something caught Hikari's eyes. A path of blue flowers were growing next to one of the large columns. Was there such a thing as blue roses? That was what they looked like.

"Umm, Luke," Hikari said slowly. "Is there such a thing as a 'blue rose'?"

Luke looked puzzled. "I'm not sure. To be honest with you, I don't know any flowers beside the sakura and the tulip. Why, do you see one?"

Hikari nodded and laced her fingers through Luke's rough, gloved fingers. She brought him over to where the flowers were and knelt down beside them.

"You think they're pretty?" Luke asked.

Hikari nodded and then Luke bent down and picked one out of the ground. He took her hand and stood her up. Running his hand through her hair, he placed the blue rose behind her ear.

Hikari was breathless. "I…I…" her breathing was somewhat rapid and her head was spinning.

Luke just looked at her, waiting for her to finish. "I…I'm…in…"

"Hikari?!"

Hikari would've punched someone if Luke wasn't the one standing closest to her. At the entrance to the pond, a short, twig-of-a-man covered in plaid and argyle was yelling her name.

Gill.

"What do you want from me?" Hikari whispered, confused and irritated.

Gill walked over to them and pushed Luke aside. Taking Hikari into his arms, he swooped her down and smashed his face against hers. Her cries were muffled against his hard lips.

Luke just stood there, mouth half open, trying to process everything that had just happened. Hikari was flailing her arms, unable to feel the kiss. It was like smashing her face against a rock—Gill didn't even move his mouth or switch positions. He just stood there with his lips pressed against hers, like a statue.

When he released her she felt like someone had taken a hammer to her lips and crushed them. Gill smiled triumphantly.

He pointed his finger at Luke. "You see this? This is love! Don't you dare try to take _my _Hikari!"

Hikari stepped in front of Gill. "Since when do I belong to you?!"

Gill must have deluded himself into thinking that he and Hikari were, in fact, a couple. Deciding not to say anything more, Hikari stepped back. Little did she know that Luke was about to do something terrible.

He took his hand, balled it into a fist, and Gill's nose gushed crimson fluid. Luke had punched the mayors son.

**Whoa there Luke! I made Gill seem like a douche in this chapter but I need some love triangles here! I know there are many fangirls for Gill, and I do like him, but this is a LUKExHikari story so therefore he is the bad guy. Oh and when Luke says "sakura" thats Japanese for "cherry blossom" I believe. He says it at the flower festival so I added it in. I hope you liked the little man cat-fight and more soon to come! Hopefully updates are sooner then they were before! Reviews are loooooove so please, show the love! Haha**


	8. Trouble

**Last time, I left you with an epic chapter! This time, well, not so much. I finished the fight from the previous chapter and something bigs happens-hence the chapter name, "Trouble". But other than that, this isn't that epic of a chapter. Hope you enjoy! I had to add naughtyness in it for my own personal love for naughtyness. Why do you think I like lemon stories? Haha, but yeah, here's this chapter! R&R Thanks so much!**

Hikari had gasped sometime between the contact of Luke's fist and Gill's nose. She shouldn't have stepped back. But then again, perhaps she could have been the one who was punched instead. The green grass had a puddle of scarlet fluid—blood.

"What the freaking hell are you doing?" Gill shouted, his hand cupped underneath his probably broken nose.

"No one talks to Hikari like that," Luke answered. His face was cross, although his voice quivered slightly.

Hikari's hands were folded and pressed against her chest. She didn't know what to do. Normally, she wouldn't be considered "damsel in distress" but it seemed that this time, she was.

"I didn't say anything wrong you stupid idiot!" Gill said, taking his hand from underneath his nose and balling it into a fist.

"Gill, no," Hikari said, her voice barely audible.

"I'm not going to let this damned looser take you away!" Gill said and with that, he punched Luke square in his left eye.

Luke staggered backwards, holding his wounded eye gingerly. The two men glared at each other, like their fight was to the death. Hikari held her breath. She wanted to move, oh how she wanted to, but it was like her feet were nailed to the grass.

"Shut up, she doesn't belong to you!" Luke lunged forward and tackled Gill to the ground. "What are you gonna do about that? In school, you always _lost_ the wrestling competitions!"

Gill bit his lip angrily. "That was before Hikari was here!"

Gill then proceeded to slap Luke. Left right, left right…

"Stop it! Both of you!" Hikari screamed.

Luke got off of Gill, both with confused looks plastered on their beaten faces. Luke was sporting an eye that would soon be black, a cut lip, and red handprints across both of his cheeks. Gill's nose was crooked and dried blood formed at the nostrils. His clothes were soiled and he too had red marks across his face.

"Stop it," Hikari pleaded, her voice edging on hysteria. "I shouldn't be a prize to be won! I don't belong to anyone! I choose who I want to be with! Don't fight over it, please!"

"I'm sorry," Luke said, taking a step towards her, his arms outstretched for a hug.

Hikari turned her head away from Luke. She then proceeded to jog towards the entrance. When she reached it, Dale had caught up with her. Hikari groaned inside her head.

_How the hell am I supposed to explain all this to Dale?_

"Afternoon Hikari," Dale said gruffly, a small grin on his lips.

"Afternoon," Hikari answered quietly, hoping to avoid conversation with him.

"You were with Luke right?" Hikari nodded slowly. "Well, where is he now?" Dale asked.

"Umm, he's, uh, with… Gill." Hikari shut on eye tight, hoping it didn't sound as suspicious as it felt.

"What is he doing with Gill?" Dale asked, suddenly troubled.

"Umm, you know… Stuff," Hikari answered and Dale rushed past her.

Hikari hated herself for not sticking up for Luke. She hated herself for not telling Dale that Gill started it, for not treating Luke like she was in love with him, and for not coming up with a better excuse to save his sorry butt.

"Luke!" Dale gasped, rushing over to the grassy area with all of the intricate columns.

"Dad!" Luke said, his voice squeaked with surprise. "It's not what it looks like!"

Dale held his hand out for Gill to grab. He hoisted the mayor's son back on his feet and then examined his nose.

"Mhmm," Dale said as he reached out to touch Gill's nose.

Gill slapped his hand away. "Stop that. I won't have those grubby, sausage links you call fingers touch me!"

Dale ignored his rude comment although Hikari wished he hadn't. "Yep, it's broken alright. Luke…what were you thinking?"

Luke scowled at Gill who, in return, smugly stared at him. "I was protecting Hikari."

"And why did she need to be protected?"

Luke started to bounce slightly in place, the way little children do when they are about to whine. "Because Gill thinks that just because he's the mayor's spawn-" Dale narrowed his eyes at Luke, who rolled his in return. "Fine, the mayor's _son, _he gets to do whatever he wants to people! _Hikari doesn't love him!_ I've been trying to tell you that, dad!"

Dale looked at his son, over to Hikari, and then at Gill. "You're grounded."

Luke's mouth opened, Gill sniggered, and Hikari gasped. "B-but, why?"

"You _punched_ him and broke his nose! Now come on, you aren't leaving the house for a long time."

Luke hung his head and followed his father out of the Goddess Pond. If Hikari had just walked in on them, she would have laughed. It was a rather comical conversation. After all, Luke was twenty-two years old and his father had to drag him away and ground him.

"I can't believe you," Hikari whispered to Gill.

"What do you care? You're obviously in love with Luke! Go after him." Gill was dusting himself off, muttering about how his clothes were grass-stained.

Hikari walked over to Gill and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going after anyone. I follow my heart, wherever it leads me."

"And that's why I like you!" Gill shouted. Hikari was momentarily taken back and Gill cleared his throat. "Sorry… It's just that you seem so free! I wanted a girl like that to love me—you kind of remind me of my mom."

Hikari wasn't sure whether she should feel flattered or utterly freaked out. It was sweet, but she couldn't ever love Gill. She was too deeply in love with Luke to even think about falling for someone else.

She then felt the tears starting to come and she cursed at herself inside her head. "Thank you," she said quietly. "And…just give it some time, okay?"

Gill's eyes widened. He nodded. "Oh, really? Y-yes of course! I'll wait for you Hikari, I promise!"

"T-that's not what I…" But it was too late; Gill had shot off towards the pond entrance. "Meant…" Hikari finished to herself.

Luke was sitting on his bed, angrily muttering to himself. Grounded? How could he be grounded? He was twenty-two years old for Goddess sake! He groaned and flopped down on the bed.

Why didn't Hikari stick up for him? It was Gill's fault after all! Sure, Luke threw the first punch, but if that waste-of-space didn't show up in the first place, nothing would ever happen. Luke wondered if Hikari was allowed to file restraining orders.

_She would never do that… She's too nice. _Luke thought.

Then he thought about what she was going to say. I…what? Luke racked his brain to think of possibilities. Then his conversation with Julius popped into his mind. Feeling his face heat up, his eyes widened. His hands quickly flew to his cheeks and a grin appeared on his lips.

_Hikari isn't in love with me is she? _He thought.

"Luke?"

"Yes?" Luke's voice squeaked, the way it often did when he was embarrassed or nervous about something.

His bedroom door opened and Owen walked in. Luke noticed that his best friend's face was cross. Owen was a big, mountain of a man, with muscles twice the size of his own. He had spiky red hair to match his fiery personality. So, seeing Owen look timid, almost terrified, worried Luke.

"I need to tell you something, but I don't know how to put it." Owen clasped his hands together and went to sit next to Luke.

Luke patted his friend on the back. "It's alright buddy, I'm here for ya! Just come out and say it, I'm ready."

Little did Luke know that he was about to fall off of the bed in shock because of what Owen said…

"Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa," Hikari said, pacing around the room in shock. "You're…?"

Kathy nodded and smiled weakly. Hikari remembered when Kathy had gotten busted for that earlier, but she never knew they'd try it again. And this time, it had failed.

Hikari sat down and placed her head in her hands. "What are you going to do?"

Kathy's eyes welled up with tears. "I don't know! My father is going to kill me, I'm going to be isolated from the town, and now when they make birth control pills and condoms _I'm_ going to be the reason they put warning labels on the packages!"

"That would be Renee's fault…" Hikari muttered. She then cleared her throat and sighed heavily. "Alright look, you made a mistake and you _are not_ going to 'fix' it."

Kathy looked cross. "I would never. It is not this baby's fault."

Hikari nodded and smiled slightly. "And sure, your dad will be very, very upset with you, but he also will be happy you are making the right decision to have this baby. As far as the town goes, well, they accept Renee still don't they?"

Kathy nodded. "And Owen…"

"Did you tell him?"

Luke had crashed on the floor sometime after Owen's announcement. Kathy was pregnant? With his baby? He never thought his best friend would collapse under that sort of pressure. Even Luke knew that one was supposed to save one's self until marriage!

"Are you sure?" Luke asked, completely bewildered.

Owen nodded numbly. "She just told me… I didn't think it would ever happen. I was drunk and we were just messing around!"

Owen's breathing turned into rapid, sharp gasps. "What am I going to do?"

Luke stood up and placed a hand on Owen's shoulder. "Calm down. Everything is going to be fine. Just marry the chick and it'll all be fixed!"

Owen shook his head. "It's not that simple! What if she's so angry at me that she doesn't want anything to do with me anymore? What if…what if she's so mad that she doesn't want our baby anymore?"

Luke gasped. "No, dude, don't even say that! You two just made a mistake; it doesn't have to ruin your lives! Look at Renee and Toby! If I got…say, Hikari, pregnant, I would want our baby to be born and I would want to raise him or her."

Owen smiled weakly. "I guess you're right… Maybe I should just go talk to her. And Hikari, eh?"

Luke felt his face flush. "It was just an example," he muttered, hiding his face underneath his long, azure bangs.

Hikari had made Kathy some hot chocolate earlier in the evening. Chocolate always made girls feel better right? They were sipping it out of coffee mugs while curled up on the couch giggling about the boys of Castanet.

"How about Julius?" Hikari said, laughing.

Kathy choked on her drink and started to laugh. "Definitely a transvestite! I wouldn't be surprised if he and Toby had a thing going before Renee came."

Hikari roared with laughter.

"How about Luke?" Kathy asked, eyeing Hikari slyly.

Hikari stopped laughing abruptly as her stomach dropped and she felt her face heat up.

_Damned hormones!_

"Um, what about him?" Hikari wasn't looking Kathy in the eyes.

"It's obvious you two have a thing! Even if it isn't obvious to either one of you," Kathy said, smiling brightly at her cherry-red friend.

"Luke? No, I, us, together? Nah! We're just best friends!" Hikari insisted.

But Kathy didn't have time to respond because someone knocked on the door. Hikari's heart jumped into her throat and Kathy looked out the window with teary eyes. Owen and Luke had come to talk.

**Kathy was a naughty little girl.. This just goes to show that even if you use protection, it doesn't always work. Story-line of Kathy's pregnancy based on my cousin's own story. Except her boyfriend left her after he found out.. Just wait till marriage okay people? It only makes an interesting story if it's IN a story-as in, fictional. Anyway, hope you liked it! And I wanted to show the developing feelings between Luke and Hikari. It's cute how much they love each other but don't know it yet! Oh and I wanted to thank everyone who is reading! I love you guys, you are my inspiration to write! And your all so amazing, I'm in your debt!**


	9. Fireworks

**Ok, so this is a filler chapter. Something that I, personally, hate writing. But I needed to write another chapter because I still need a chapter for June... Alright, just a heads up, there is more swearing then normal in this chapter. If you don't like, just skim over the huge paragraph with Hikari's anger. And please don't hate because of it! I think I rated this story T and it's genre is romance/drama so I think I'm ok. Anyway, please R and R! I promise the future chapters will be much more exciting!**

Hikari hesitated in front of the door. What if Owen was here to tell Kathy it was over? What if he made Luke say it for him? Would he really hurt Kathy like that?

Those were questions Hikari could never answer unless she opened the door. Slowly, Hikari creaked the door open slightly. Luke grinned an extremely goofy grin at her and she laughed. Everything was going to be fine.

When Hikari opened the door, Owen burst through it and rushed over to Kathy. He picked her up and spun her around, taking her by complete surprise. She tilted her head back and laughed, bliss shining all over her weary face.

Owen gently put her down. Placing his large hand over her stomach, he smiled and said, "Kathy, this is _our_ baby. _We_ made this together so we're going to go through this, _together."_

Kathy's emerald green eyes welled up with tears. She nodded. "And no matter what happens, we will always be here for this baby. Always."

"Yes." Owen swooped her down and kissed her passionately.

Hikari smiled and leaned her head on Luke's shoulder, not really realizing what she was doing. Luke smiled at her and rapped his arm around her shoulder.

When Kathy and Owen had released each other, Kathy eyed Hikari and Luke with a smug expression. She nudged Owen and he winked at Luke. Hikari's eyes widened and Luke quickly stepped aside. Both of their faces were flushed.

"Is it, uh, hot in here?" Hikari asked, giggling nervously.

"I'm always hot," Kathy shrugged. "But that's 'cause I'm pregnant now."

Owen winced slightly but clapped his hands together to cover it up. "So, what are we going to do about telling your dad?"

Kathy sank back on the couch. She rested her chin on her hands and sighed heavily. "I don't know yet… Let's wait a few months, okay? Just to be sure everything will be safe. I'll warm him up to the idea first."

The room was silent for a little while. Owen and Kathy were probably trying to stomach their new situation. But Hikari, whether she wanted to be or not, was thinking about the gorgeous, young, _and_ single carpenter standing in her living room. He probably didn't even realize how amazing he was! And it broke Hikari's heart to think that they could be together, if only he'd open his eyes.

"Oh, Goddess!" Luke said, his hands flying to his head.

"What?" Hikari said, frantically searching around the room for something terrible—like a mouse or broken glass.

Luke pointed at the calendar. "It's the last day of summer!"

Hikari's eyes widened. "N-no, it can't be! I was supposed to run a booth today! I was supposed to be selling my farm supplies and crops!"

Luke grabbed Hikari's hand and started to pull her out the door. "C'mon!" he said. "You and I are going to the fireworks festival together and I'm going to help you run your booth."

"Sorry about this," Hikari said as she was yanked out of the door. "Congratulations you two!"

Hikari's head was spinning. How was she ever going to get everything done? With Luke's help, it'll probably take even longer! But even so, she was grateful for his sudden urge to help her.

"Ok, you ready?" Hikari asked, bringing out her lovely white stallion, Willow with the shipping cart attached to the horse's back end.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Luke answered, jogging over to help Hikari with the reins.

Hikari gave Luke a strange glance. "Umm, I can do this myself, you know that, right?"

Luke took a step back and laughed nervously. "Yeah… I was just trying to be helpful." He shrugged.

Hikari smiled slightly. "Thanks." And she handed him the reins.

And her breathing hitched. He took the reins from her and shot her his adorable Luke-grin. Hikari's eyelids fluttered shut and she felt his rough, calloused hands placed gently on her cheeks. Feeling scared, happy, and completely freaked out, Hikari finally felt Luke's lips gently press against hers. There was something unique with the way Luke kissed. Compared to the other boys Hikari kissed, he didn't force anything. It was like he was just as unsure with himself as she was.

But they did break apart. This time, it was more reluctant in a "we could've done better" kind of way.

Hikari shook her head. "I'm confused."

"Me too."

Luke took her hand and played with her fingers for a moment. "What are we?" he asked.

"Friends." Hikari smiled.

"You sure?" Luke said with uncertainty in his voice.

Hikari nodded. "Maybe friends with benefits." Laughing, she said, "Alright friend with a benefit, let's get to work! I need you to haul that crate of eggs onto the shipping cart."

"Will do!" Luke said, saluting. Which only made Hikari laugh even more.

Hikari had been piling up eggs since the beginning of the month in a little refrigerator Dale had installed for her after the "rotten egg" incident. She had let her eggs sit out in a pile because there was going to be a flea-market trip into Mineral Town. She figured she could make some extra money and sell her eggs. But when Luke piled them onto the cart, he tripped and the eggs broke open, revealing their rotten gas. After that, Dale insisted on installing a fridge in her chicken coop.

"Ok, everything is ready to go!" Luke said, smiling brightly at her. "And I didn't even trip this time."

Hikari gave Luke a half-grin and hopped onto her horse. "Ready to go into town big girl? Oh, you too Luke! Hop on the back of the cart and make sure nothing spills out."

Luke laughed heartily. "You worry too much."

The couple had made it into town and down to the beach successfully. Hikari was relieved, she was sure something was going to go wrong. Although she did have to tell Luke to stop juggling the eggs twice. Nevertheless they had made it to the beach. But Hikari couldn't help but feel a huge knot growing in her stomach.

The fireworks festival was known for naughty events. Apparently, that's the night Renee and Toby tried it for the first time. Not that Luke would try anything, Hikari wasn't even sure if he knew what "friends with benefits" meant.

But she wouldn't get an answer to her question because, standing right in front of her booth, was the bane of her existence. Gill. Looking incredibly stupid with his broken nose, Hikari had to stifle a laugh. But Luke quickly laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand.

"Don't be an idiot, Hikari," Luke whispered in her ear. "Make Gill go away and make sure he doesn't ask you to watch the fireworks with him. I've got something special planned for us anyway."

Hikari smiled. "Alright."

Gill snorted angrily and turned his head when Hikari walked over. "Finally come to your senses?"

Hikari put her hands in her pocket and sighed. "What do you mean?"

"Ditched the looser for me?" Gill asked, his voice edging on hopeful.

"No. And Luke is my best friend," Hikari said, folding her arms across her chest. "So if you ever want a chance with me, accept that _right now."_

Gill puffed out his cheeks and then sighed. "Whatever. See you around. And remember, I will wait for you, forever."

_What is it with this guy? Why can't he take a hint? _Hikari thought angrily as she started to place her farm products on the table in front of her booth.

Luna and Candace had set up a clothing booth, Toby had a fishing booth, and Renee had an animal booth conveniently right next to Toby's. Then someone caught her eye. Tanned skin, curvy body, and a huge chest—probably three times the size of her own. And seeing her made Hikari's blood boil.

Selena.

The dancer at the bar.

And Luke's preferred female taste.

Hikari squinted and pursed her lips, trying not to seem too mad. She had forgotten this was Selena's favorite festival… And she wished that she wouldn't have come at all. Although, much to her delight, Luke was nowhere within chatting distance of Selena.

"Ugh," Selena said as she made her way to Hikari's booth. "Someone let a little kitten without a pedigree into Castanet. But then again, that's to be expected, seeing as no one else on this island is even close to being beautiful. Except for me."

She narrowed her eyes at Hikari, who, by this point was angrily drumming her fingers on the table. "You must be the new rancher I've heard just enough about. Luke told me about you but I had no idea you looked like this. No wonder he's not interested."

"Would you like to buy something today, Miss?" Hikari asked, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Not from you. From Luke? Hell yes," Selena cackled. And once she caught sight of Luke, she bounced up and down in place—obviously trying to show off her "impressive" cleavage.

"Bitch," Hikari muttered but Selena didn't seem to hear.

Luke had bought two coconut glasses with the sweet milk inside. "Hey Hikari!" he called, running over to her with the coconuts in his hands. "I bought some coconut milk, wanna try it?"

"Sure," Hikari said, laughing at his childish excitement.

He handed her the coconut and then glanced at Selena. She was obviously upset that Luke hadn't bought her any and her arms were folded across her chest, making her cleavage show even more.

Hikari rolled her eyes and slurped up the sweet milk.

"You got some on your shirt," Selena said and pointed to Hikari's chest.

"What no I don-" But Hikari felt her cup get tipped and the milk spill all over the front of her.

Selena was smiling. "Oops," she said, shrugging and making a totally fake 'I'm sorry' face. "I was only trying to help!"

Hikari finally couldn't hold it in any longer and she exploded with rage. "What the hell did you freaking do? Just because you've got your 'three sizes' in a perfect form doesn't mean you're completely irresistible! You're just a worthless, good for nothing whore. And your dancing isn't even great, you self-righteous bitch! So go back to your pathetic little island and _never ever_ go near my Luke again."

"Y-y-your Luke? Says who?" Selena spluttered.

But Hikari placed the "closed" sign on her table. "I'm sorry, but I only offer my products to people who are classy enough to be on this island. Have a great day! Bye now!"

And with that, Hikari stomped away and proudly strode over to the table where Luna and Candace were set up. Her outburst at Selena didn't really have to do with the spilled milk. It was two years of boiling jealousy and anger towards the dancer that caused Hikari to explode. And if it wasn't the right thing to do, Hikari couldn't care less.

"How much for one of those bikinis?" she asked, pointing at the green and white striped bathing suit.

"Gonna give Selena a run for her money?" Luna asked, her eyes narrowing mischievously.

Hikari nodded and smiled devilishly.

"100 gold," Luna answered. "I knocked down the price just because of that."

"A-are you sure that's a good idea, Hikari?" Candace asked as Hikari handed Luna the cash.

"Absolutely," Hikari said, swimsuit in hand while she smiled proudly.

"But Selena does have a way of getting you back… Just be careful." Candace shook her head just as Julius walked up.

"Hello, my dear," he said, trailing kisses up her neck and making her blush. "Miss me?"

"Of course I have, Julius!" Candace answered, squealing with delight as Julius picked her up and spun her around.

Hikari smiled and started to walk away, mouthing "thank you" to Luna. She was looking down, determined not to look at Luke or Selena. She had probably embarrassed Luke almost as much as she embarrassed herself. As for Selena? Hikari knew Candace was right and she didn't want to take the risk early on.

Bumping into something incredibly hard, Hikari looked up, half-expecting Owen to be standing in front of her. But it wasn't Owen because Owen didn't have messy blue hair and golden, cat-like eyes. Owen didn't make Hikari blush and Hikari wasn't in love with Owen.

So it was Luke standing in front of her.

"'My Luke?' What was that about?" Luke asked, a grin playing on his lips.

"I was mad, okay?" Hikari said, her cheeks flaming. "I didn't know what else to say!"

"Jeeze, calm down," Luke said, holding his hands up in defense. "I know and it's totally fine. I thought it was pretty funny actually. But about your shirt…"

"Its fine," Hikari said, waving his comment aside. "I bought a swimsuit to wear instead."

Luke's eyes widened. "A-A swimsuit…?"

"Yeah," Hikari answered simply. Although inside, she knew Luke was falling right into her carefully planned trap. "What's the big deal? I'm a girl, so I have a bikini."

"A b-bikini?" Luke repeated, his face colored scarlet. "Why don't you just buy a really big t-shirt to swim in? That way, you won't, uh, get sunburned!"

"Sunburned? Seriously Luke?" Hikari said, brushing him aside and heading for a bathroom to change, a smile plastered on her face.

"Oh God, oh God, oh my God!" Luke said, pacing back and forth, his hands placed on his head in worry.

"What's wrong buddy?" Owen said, coming up behind him and clapping him on the back.

Kathy was holding his hand and she was sporting a red bikini, her newly pregnant stomach barely even noticeable. But Luke could care less that they were together still because he was flipping out.

"Hikari is gonna wear a-a…" Luke shook his head and cupped his hands around Owen's ear. "A bikini."

Owen roared with laughter. "So what? She did last summer too. You remember, at the festival? That blue one with the little red bird in the corner?"

Kathy looked at him with her eyebrows raised. "You remember what suit Hikari wore last year?"

Owen nodded. "Yeah, but you were the one who really caught my eye. Your Kelly-green bikini with the pink flower on your left breast. Totally sexy, baby."

"Aww, thanks honey!" Kathy said, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

Luke turned around just as Hikari walked out of the bathroom. He spun around once, trying to shake the fact that Hikari looked, in his mind, "totally hot".

"So, what do you think?" Hikari asked, spinning around and showing off the front, back, and sides of her suit.

"You look pretty, Hikari!" Kathy said, smiling and placing her hand on Hikari's shoulder.

Owen nodded in agreement. But Hikari brushed over his "compliment" and looked Luke straight in the eyes.

"Well…?"

"Umm, you look…nice?" Luke said, not really sure how to tell her how amazingly gorgeous she looked.

"Uh, thanks…? Yeah, thanks," Hikari answered, trying to smile but feeling defeated inside.

Of course, Selena had a bikini on now as well. Hers was purple with gold rings in between her breasts and on the sides of her bottoms. But Luke wasn't looking at her yet, which made Hikari feel a little bit better. But just a little bit.

Nighttime had fallen about ten minutes ago. That meant that Hamilton was going to start the fireworks soon. Luke had set out a little beach towel for the two of them. They were accompanied by Kathy and Owen, Renee and Toby, Luna, and Candace and Julius. Hikari didn't really mind much, it wasn't like Luke noticed her anymore anyway. Now that Selena was here, he hadn't said more than a few words Hikari.

But little did Hikari know that was because Luke didn't know what to say.

"And now!" Hamilton announced, standing on a wooden crate so everyone could see him since he was as short as Luna—which is very short. "It is time to start the fireworks! I hope everyone enjoys and has a great time."

Owen eyed Luke for a moment before opening the cooler he and Kathy had brought. Kathy and Renee couldn't drink anything due to their little bundles of joy but everyone else was all for it.

"Here you go, Hikari!" Luke said, handing her some sort of alcohol.

"Umm, no thanks," Hikari answered, pushing it away. "I don't really like alcohol."

"Aww c'mon, you've gotta try this kind! It's specially brewed on the island!" Owen said, tilting his head back and taking a swig.

"It's brewed on the island? Where?" Luna asked, pushing the ice in her pineapple rum around with a straw.

"That, my dear Luna, is a secret," Owen said, smirking at Luna as Kathy slapped his arm playfully.

The first boom made Hikari jump. She wasn't really paying attention to the fireworks. But when she looked up, an array of green sparks shattered to the ground, leaving a trail of smoke that could only be seen against the shining summer moon.

The fireworks continued, each booming louder and louder. Reds, blues, golds, greens, and everything in between were illuminating the sky with their brilliant bright lights and assorted shapes.

"Which do you like best?" Hikari asked, fully aware that almost everyone sitting around her was drunk.

"Hmmm," Renee said, smiling. "I like the blue ones; they remind me of fish splashing out of the water."

Hikari nodded, thinking, _That girl should've been a fisherman… _She glanced back up at the sky again right as the explosion of a blue firework went off. Squinting, she stared at its odd shape. Four more blue fireworks shot off right next to it, leaving more odd shapes.

Renee gasped and let out a high-pitched scream. Everyone turned to look at her. The baby? But Renee didn't double-over in pain and she wasn't even clutching her stomach. She simply pointed at the sky.

And when Hikari looked up, lighting up the sky were the words, "Renee, will you marry me?" Kathy leaned her head on Owen's shoulder, smiling at her friend's proposal.

Luke handed Renee two firework tubes. One titled, "yes" and the other titled, "no". Smiling she pulled the trigger and into the sky were the words, "yes!".

But Hikari didn't have time to congratulate her because at that moment, she was pinned to the sandy floor. Luke was shaking, holding her down with his strong arms.

"Hikari, I-I have to tell you something," he said, a determined yet nervous look on his face.

Hikari's eyes widened as she watched all of the heads on the beach swivel towards her. "W-what is it?"

He leaned down towards her lips and whispered, "You look so freaking hot in that bikini."

But Hikari didn't listen. All she could smell was the alcohol coating his breath. And she knew he was drunk, so it wasn't really a compliment. With tears in her eyes, she sat up and grabbed her purse.

"Why don't you tell me that when you aren't drunk?" And she stood up and walked away, hopping on her horse and riding into the darkness. Leaving a bewildered, and hardly drunk, Luke in the sand.

And Gill smiled triumphantly, having nothing to drink all night, with a new idea forming in his mind.

**Wow, ok so I really hate filler chapters... Don't hate/stop reading because of this one chapter. They will get better, I swear! And maybe it's just me... Maybe you guys liked this chapter. Anyway, I really want to thank all my annonomous reviewers! Since I can't PM you a thank you-like I usually do with the people that have accounts-THANKS! You guys are awesome! And I love all you with accounts too. Seriously, unless your an "author" like me, you have no idea what it feels like when you open your email and see that someone reviewed/favorited/subscribed your story! **

**Anyway, Gill isn't as evil as I make him out to be. And that paragraph that Hikari yells at Selena is stuff I'd love to say to her in real life! Thats allllll my creation from my hatred of her. She's rude and totally not right for Luke! You agree right? I hope so! ok thanks for reading!**


	10. Helping

**Last time I left you off with Hikari running away from Luke. Just when he's deciding to FINALLY say something nice to her, she's the one who decides to be stupid... Ah well, as much as I want them to just get together, I have to keep this running. This is a filler chapter for the next two/three chapters that are to come. There is some fatherly advice in this chapter and a bit of pervert-ness from Hikari going on. Anyway, R and R please! **

**Oh, and this is the link to my blog where I review stories on as well as give updates on my own! Check it out please! It's called ScarletDreamsForver and it's at blogspot(dot)com**

"What did I do?" Luke asked, sand slipping through his fingers as he grabbed at the ground.

"I guess, hic, she wasn't interested. She, hic, must've thought you was drunk!" Owen slurred, collapsing onto Kathy's lap as she began to stroke his hair.

"But I'm not," Luke said quietly, looking down at the sand where her feet had been imprinted only a few seconds ago. "I only had one beer…"

Renee came up behind Luke and hugged him as best as she could with her big belly. "I'm sure if you explained that to Hikari she'd understand."

Luke stood up and brushed himself off. "Then that's what I'm going to do."

He started to walk away, only hearing Renee's ecstatic sobbing as Toby approached her with a blue feather, before he was stopped. In front of him was the body of an exotic dancer, the hottest girl on the island. But Luke didn't care. All he wanted was to apologize to Hikari.

"Where are you going Lukey-poo?" Selena asked, trailing her fingers down his chest.

He took her hands and pushed them aside. "Not anywhere with you," he answered, his face cross.

"What did I do?" Selena shrieked, her face contorted with anger, making her much less attractive. "It's because of that stupid, bland farmer girl isn't it? She's just your type isn't she? Spunky. Well whether you know it or not, I'm spunky too. Trust me, ask any of the guys I've dated and they'll tell you."

"This isn't about you Selena," Luke said, sighing. "Now look, I've got to go."

Luke started to walk away again, only for his plans to be foiled by yet another visitor. And this time, it was someone who couldn't look attractive even if he was placed inside a cardboard box wrapped up in duck-tape. Or at least, in Luke's opinion he couldn't.

"Why did Hikari run off?" Gill asked, his voice icy with hatred.

"She saw you and went to go puke," Luke answered dully and tried to dodge Gill.

But his efforts failed.

"You hurt her didn't you? Didn't you?" Gill said, grabbing the front of Luke's shirt in his fist.

"No! I mean, yes, but I didn't mean to! I was trying to be considerate and I-" But he was cut off again.

"Listen carefully you ignorant fool," Gill said, his voice sounding so evil that even his whispering made Luke shiver. "If you do anything, say anything, or even think of anything that would give me a reason to think that you might hurt Hikari, you will never get another chance to apologize to her. You hear me?"

Luke nodded. "I would never hurt her on purpose," he whispered, anger boiling inside of him. "Even if hurting her meant getting all the fame, fortune, and girls I wanted. Even…even if it meant getting my mother back, I still wouldn't hurt her for it."

And Gill let go of his shirt at that moment. He knew that Luke had a soft spot about his mom; he was only a kid when he lost her. Gill had lost his mother too, in fact.

"Get out of here," Gill whispered in Luke's ear. "Get out of here and go fix things with Hikari."

Luke nodded silently before Gill disappeared back to the beach. The fireworks had died out, leaving only their trail of smoke behind. Luke hoped it wasn't too late. He hoped that for whatever reason Hikari was really mad at him for, it wasn't something he couldn't fix.

Even through his thick skull, he knew Hikari wasn't mad at him because of the alcohol. It was something else.

But Luke couldn't figure out what.

Hikari was sitting on the edge of her bed, her tears falling onto the sheets faster than she could catch them in her hands. The fact of the matter was that she wasn't angry at Luke for complimenting her while he was drunk. Rather, she was delighted about that.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Like she was missing something, something that both of them could end up benefiting from. But Hikari was also scared that getting too close to Luke could break her heart. He was too aloof to even notice that she was in love with him. And she felt that she was in way over her head.

A knock issued from the door and Hikari quickly wiped away her tears. She didn't want someone, especially Gill or Selena, to see her cry. She opened it and her hand flew to her mouth. Salty tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked at the love of her life, blurred by her teary eyes.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking.

Hikari thought about collapsing into his arms. She really wanted to. She wanted to forget everything and let herself melt into him. But she knew loving him was going to break her heart. Loving him _did_ break her heart.

"Thank you," Hikari said stiffly. She didn't dare move.

One move would break her. One move would make her let go all of the secrets she kept bottled up inside. One move would be the only thing standing in the way of three words she wanted to say.

_I love you._

"Hikari," Luke said, his voice timid and scared. "I'm not drunk."

"I know," Hikari whispered, her voice barely audible.

And the way he said it, his voice was holding everything she needed. But she knew she couldn't have it. It wasn't for her taking. And even though he was standing right beside her, she had never felt farther apart from him.

And why?

Because she couldn't admit to herself that by confessing to Luke, she could actually create something new. Something amazing.

Or she could completely destroy everything they had.

"Look," Hikari said, taking Luke's hand and sitting down on the front steps of her porch. "I can't explain to you what's happening to me. I can't explain why every time I see you my heart flutters. And I will never ever be able to explain why I deserve a friend like you… Because, when it all comes down to nothing, when I can't possibly live with myself anymore, _you_ are always there for me. You're the one who I can turn to. And Luke…I-I l-"

Her lips were silenced by his. She felt warm tears mix with her own and cold hands brush against her cheeks, wiping away her tears.

"Sometimes, you don't have to explain everything to me. Sometimes, I just know," Luke whispered.

Hikari pulled away, wondering how so much happiness could come from one person. It was simple. _It was love._

"Hikari," Luke said urgently, his golden cat-like eyes pleading for her attention. "I have to go into town to sell some firewood and furniture tomorrow. Do you want to come with me? It'll be like a big road trip!"

Hikari laughed at his enthusiasm. "Of course, but who will watch my animals and water my crops?"

"I got Bo to do it," Luke said, obviously proud with himself. "And trust me; he didn't put up much of a fight to do it."

"Alright then," Hikari said, "I guess I better go pack!"

"Ok, awesome!" Luke said, standing up and holding his hand out for Hikari to hoist herself up. "I'll see you, Luna, Owen, Anissa, Renee, Toby, and Kathy tomorrow then!"

Hikari's heart sunk. _I guess it's not much of a romantic trip if almost everyone in town is going… _She thought but smiled anyway as Luke waved goodbye.

As soon as Luke was out of sight, Hikari smiled to herself as she felt that warm, bubbling feeling boil up inside of her. However, the feeling soon faded and turned sour as she was rudely greeted by her next guest.

"You may think you have him wrapped around your finger, you ugly little farm girl," Selena spat as her words burned like venom into Hikari's heart. "But you and I both know that he'll get bored of you eventually. You don't have much to offer, do you?"

Hikari scowled and bit her tongue, not wanting to say anything to the obviously jealous dancer. Selena circled Hikari with her ruby red eyes narrowed and a devious smile dancing on her lips.

"Don't want to talk, hmm? Well then, I guess I'll tell you how this is going to play out. You are not going with Luke to the market. I am. And you are going to leave him alone. It's obvious he deserves better. You're just keeping him away from who he really wants. Someone who's been here since birth. _Someone who can remember his mother."_

Hikari instantly felt a twinge of guilt plunge into her gut. _She_ was the reason that Luke had lost the last connection he had to his mother. _She_ had lost the necklace that he held onto oh-so-dearly.

"You're right," Hikari said, sighing. "He does deserve someone who can laugh with him, remember memories, and talk to him about his mom. But you and I both know that you aren't the person to do the job. I may not have known Mary, but at least I can act like I remember who she is. You probably didn't even know her name until I just said it! Oh and another thing, I'm going with Luke to the market and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Selena stood there, completely bewildered at Hikari's comment. But Hikari didn't wait for a response. Instead, she walked up the steps to the front door of her farm house and slammed it behind her.

Hikari rushed over to the phone and quickly dialed Luke's number.

"Hey, I need a favor," she said when Luke picked up.

"Sure anything. What's up?"

"If I pack early, can I come stay at your house overnight? Selena is sort of, err, threatening me that she'll do something terrible to me if I go to the market with you."

Luke laughed. "You're scared of her, huh?"

Hikari's bottom lip curved into a pout—the way it often did when she was upset. "No! You're crazy… It's just that, you know…I'm being…extra safe." She laughed nervously.

No answer.

"Alright fine!" Hikari said, giving in. "I'm scared of Selena! Can I stay with you now?"

Luke roared with laughter. "Sure! But, uh, only if it's okay with you that Owen and Toby are staying the night too."

"Sure, fine, whatever. I'll be over in a few," Hikari said and quickly hung up the phone.

Hikari's lips curved into a grin. Sometimes Luke was so dense that anything could slip past him. In all honestly, she hoped to be alone with him so she could straighten things out—_really_ straighten things out. Was she scared of Selena? Not at all.

But a sleepover? With three guys? Including the one she was in love with? She sighed. _I should have stayed in the city… _she thought but knew that wasn't true. She loved her life here more than anything else in the whole world. How bad could a sleepover with them be?

Well, it turned out to be a normal sleepover. When Hikari was little, she couldn't help but wonder what guys did at slumber parties. Now that she was at one, it wasn't so different from her own. All they did was watch movies, and for Owen and Toby, talk about babies.

"So what do you want to have, Owen?" Hikari asked, picking another cherry from the party-sized bowl and popping it in her mouth.

She was lounging on Luke's bed in an oversized t-shirt—compliments of Luke himself. Luke was lying next to her, flipping through some magazine she didn't dare glance at more than twice. It made her feel rather insecure.

"A boy," Owen said, clutching his head with his hand. His buzz was obviously starting to wear off. "But honestly, I'm fine with either. I think Kathy wants a girl anyway."

"I don't really care what Renee and I have. I'm just so excited she said yes. I was scared that because of the baby, she wouldn't want anything to do with me. It was merely child's play that the baby was created after all…" Toby mused, sitting criss-crossed on Luke's floor.

"I'm just happy you two are still together with Kathy and Renee," Hikari said. "Kathy was so worried you wouldn't accept her back, Owen."

Owen nodded, a blush appearing on his cheeks. Then he eyed Toby who in return, smiled deviously at him.

"So Luke and Hikari," Toby said and Luke glanced up from his magazine article titled '10 ways to tell if she wants you'.

Hikari made sure to remember that he was reading that for future reference.

"What's your baby story?" Owen asked.

Toby stood up and began to act out the different baby-making scenarios. "Firefly festival slip up? Alone in his room scandal? Or Luke's favorite, the unzipped dress theory."

Luke's mouth dropped open and matched Hikari's expression of terror. How did they know about that? More importantly, _who_ told them about that?

"Gill's quite the chatterbox when he's drunk," Owen said, trying not to laugh while Toby doubled-over with fits of laughter.

"I. Am. So. Going. To. Kill. Him," Luke said, his hands balled into fists and his face contorted with anger.

Hikari placed a hand on his shoulder. "Honestly, it's probably what Gill wants. He's just looking for reasons to make you angry. Don't worry about it, Luke." Her gaze set upon the pair sitting on the floor. "You two haven't told anyone have you?"

Owen and Toby glanced at each other. Toby shook his head "no" but Owen remained stoic.

"Well, err," Owen started, fidgeting around with the ties on his swim trunks. "Only Kathy… But I made her swear not to tell! I promise! She's good at keeping secrets."

Hikari laughed nervously. "Alright, Owen. But no one else can be told, okay? The whole incident was just a…"

"Moment of passion," Luke offered and Owen and Toby roared with laughter.

Hikari nodded. "Exact—wait did you say 'moment of passion'? That's really sweet of you…"

Luke looked confused but didn't have time to respond because Dale knocked on the door. Hikari quickly jumped behind Luke's bed so Dale wouldn't see her. She wasn't even supposed to be at Luke's house in the first place.

"Son?" Dale said as he entered the room. "I know you're all grown men, but I think it would be in your best interest to go to sleep. You've got a long journey ahead of you tomorrow."

"Thanks pops," Luke muttered, walking over to his dresser with his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Did you ask Hikari if she could come?"

"Mhmm," Luke said as he began to undress. "She said yes."

Layers of clothing were strewn across the floor and Hikari let out a light gasp. Dale's eyes widened as he found the young farmer in his _son's_ clothes, in his _son's_ room, _at a sleepover!_

"Miss Hikari," Dale said, his voice strained as he tried to stay calm. "May I ask what you're doing here?"

Luke spun around in only his boxers and blushed a deep shade of red. _He's so gonna kill me… _Luke thought.

"Umm, hanging out?" Hikari said sheepishly.

Dale let out a long sigh and took Hikari by the arm. "Can you 'hang out' on the coach please?"

Hikari nodded and eyed Luke for a moment. Her eyes decided to take the "Luke's rockin' body" tour without her permission. First his lovely face, complete with his azure shaggy hair, golden cat-like eyes, and his goofy yet adorable "I'm screwed" expression. His chest and abs, all perfectly carved. All the way down to his… Hikari quickly stopped looking and averted her gaze, blushing and feeling incredibly stupid.

"Night," the boys called.

"Night," Hikari said, not looking back at them.

Dale had set up the pop-out bed, one all too familiar to her. She must have slept on that bed maybe a hundred times back when she first started farming. Luke, Dale, and Bo were all kind enough to let her stay the night when her house needed repairs, when she was upset about something, or even just for fun. She couldn't help but feel like Dale was a second father to her. This made her all the more guilty about falling in love with Luke, although she didn't really care.

"Have a good night sleep, Hikari," Dale said, his hand on the light switch.

"Umm, Dale, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Dale said, coming down to sit beside her.

"Do you know if Luke is dense enough to completely ignore someone's feelings? Like, if they actually like him more than a friend?"

Hikari saw a smile creep up on Dale's lips. "Well," he said. "I think deep down he knows how yo, I mean, this_ person_ feels about him. He's probably waiting to figure it out himself. As you know, Luke lost his mom at a young age and believe it or not, I wasn't all that great in the love department. So I don't have many tips for him. But I will tell you this, Luke has the capacity in his heart to love more than anyone else on the island and when the time is right, he'll fall head over heels for this girl. I know she's very special to him, by the way."

Hikari smiled and wrapped her arms around Dale. "Thanks."

Dale nodded and got up to turn off the lights. Hikari sunk under she warm sheets, smelling Luke's sent of freshly cut wood, wood shavings, and pine needles. No matter how many times she smelled that, it just got sweeter every time.

_Luke, I know you don't know it yet, but I love you… And I know that you're the only one for me. I promise, I'll wait for you forever…_

"Hikari?"

It was Luke.

"Hmm?" Hikari said, pretending to be groggy.

"Can I talk to you?"

**Ooh, cliff-hanger! DUN DUN DUN! And unfortunetly, you might have to wait a little longer for an update. My cousins are coming into town so I won't be able to write anything for a week or so! Gives you more time to review, no? Yes! So the more reviews, the faster I update! Let's try for at least 8 this chapter! But you know, because I love you all, I'll update soon whether or not I get 8 or more reviews. Just not as fast without the reviews ;) Ok, I'm done yammering!**

**Oh wait, one last question. Should Luke and Hikari "do it"? I'm not making her pregnant by any means so just be aware of that. I may or I may not write that in, I just want to know what you guys think!**


	11. Discovering

**I am sooooo sorry for the long wait! I ended up getting over 15 reviews on that last chapter which makes me feel super guilty that I didn't update sooner... I was in Cali picking out a house with my family and then I had to babysit my brother and cousins while my parents went on vacation for three days. Busy busy busy! But here's the chapter that I owe you! Lots of angst but it is rather short. Make sure to read the note at the end because it tells you my surprise for you because I was late on updating! And thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I love each and every one of them! And if I didn't get back to you with your review it's because I haven't checked my email in eons! Thanks again, I love you guys!**

Hikari stared at Luke, wondering what he could possibly want. She was terribly embarrassed for the trouble Luke would get into because of her. But he didn't seem mad. In fact, his cheeks were sporting a soft pink hue.

"Sure," Hikari answered slowly.

Luke sat beside her on the bed and the springs creaked underneath them. He took her hand in his and they intertwined fingers.

"You know that magazine I was reading earlier?" Luke said and Hikari's breath caught in her throat. "Well, I was reading something on crushes… Why do my cheeks heat up every time I see you? Why does my heart start to flutter when you touch me? And why do I have a huge gaping hole in my chest whenever you're with Gill?"

Hikari blinked several times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "Umm, well, honestly, I have no idea. That's a question you need to answer for yourself."

She leaned closer to Luke and his eyes grew wide. _That shirt definitely does not fit her very well… _Luke thought as he attempted to look away from her.

"But when you decide," Hikari whispered, her voice barely audible, "I'll be there for you."

Luke nodded, unable to speak. There were words he knew he could say to her, although he couldn't figure out what they were. His best friend, his whole world, went through so much just to be his best friend. And he was forever grateful—even if he didn't know the words he should've said to her.

"Umm, can I, uh, stay here with you…? Tonight?" Luke asked as he fidgeted around uneasily.

Hikari nodded. "Of course. But what about Dale?"

Luke tossed her a lopsided smile and, with his eyes sparkling with mischief, he answered, "What about Dale?"

Hikari giggled and threw the blanket over the both of them. She felt his strong arms cradle her in his embrace. Her body was just small enough to fit into his and she could hear his heart beating faster than normal. She breathed in deeply, taking in his sweet scent before she closed her eyes.

The next morning the pair was awakened by two smirking men. Owen and Toby. Hikari rolled over without even bothering to make a snide remark or excuse and she crashed right into Luke's chest. He rubbed his eyes and stretched before noticing his friends.

"What the hell are you doing down here?" he asked, quickly covering himself and Hikari with the blanket.

Toby smiled deviously. "In case you forgot, we're heading into town today. It seems like Luke prefers 'sleepover sex'."

Luke blushed a dark shade of red and Hikari jumped out of bed, unaware that Luke's shirt had pretty much sagged off of her during the night.

"Shut up Toby, nothing happened!" Hikari said, adjusting her shirt.

But Toby didn't have time to respond because Dale had walked downstairs. "Morning everybody. I was watching Ellie this morning and the weather seems like it's going to be pretty bad today. Be extra careful—after all, you've got two pregnant women with you."

Luke nodded. "We will pops. Oh, Hikari, is Willow hitched up to the cart?"

"Yeah, I brought her around back last night," Hikari said, clothing in her hands as she headed off to change.

Luke smiled goofily at her and then took Owen and Toby out to load the supplies onto the cart. When they reached Willow and the cart, everyone was already waiting for them.

"About time you got here," Luna said, tapping her foot angrily.

Renee smiled and kissed Toby's cheek gently. "You ready?"

"Are you sure you're up to this? The baby should be here soon," Toby said, resting a hand on his fiancé's stomach.

Renee nodded and placed the package of eggs she was holding onto the cart. Luke had hopped in and was placing clothing, crops, animal products, and assorted goods on the bed of the cart. The front and back were lined with seats where the passengers would sit. Kathy had decided to handle the reigns.

Hikari immerged from Luke's house with her hair pulled into two cute little pigtails. Luke quickly looked away, feeling hot.

"Uhh, let's go!" he said and quickly took his seat.

Hikari sat beside him as Kathy started off. They were silent for most of the trip except for the occasional sigh from Toby or quick comments on the landscape and weather.

As they grew closer to the city, the sky became darker. Dale had warned them about storms, but honestly, how many storms were there on Castanet? But they weren't in Castanet anymore. They were arriving at a small village named Mineral Town, population was about average but the markets were amazing. People from all over the world came to buy and sell things at this market.

"It looks like it's gonna rain," Luna said, looking up at the sky and squinting.

Luke waved off the comment with his hand. "Nah, it never rains."

"On Castanet it never usually does… But Castanet isn't _here_," Anissa pointed out and Luke stuck out his tongue in an exasperated fashion.

Kathy had decided against camping for the night. Not that there were any good spots to camp, on one side of the road was a beach and on the other side was desert. And even though Kathy knew horses inside and out, she didn't know Willow. Willow tired easily and Hikari could tell she wasn't going to be able to pull them much longer.

"Umm, Kathy?" Hikari piped up and she saw the blonde swivel her head around. "I think Willow is getting tired."

"Hmm, you think so?" Kathy said, reaching down to pet Willow's soft neck.

Before Kathy could answer, a loud clap of thunder echoed throughout the land. Anissa jumped from her seat as her face turned a ghostly shade of white.

"You okay?" Luke asked, placing his hand on her knee.

She nodded but her lips were clenched tightly together as well as her fists. A flash of lightning was seen in the distance and Willow came to an abrupt stop, practically giving whiplash to everyone sitting in the cart.

Kathy hopped down from the saddle and placed her hands on her hips. "Seems like Willow's scared of thunder and lightning, Hikari."

Hikari nodded slowly.

It was Luke who decided to take the next move. "I know it probably isn't the best place to spend the night, but I think we should camp out over by the beach."

Hikari's eyes grew wide. Next to the dark ocean was the last place she'd ever want to spend the night. But Luke grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight, mouthing "it'll be alright" and Hikari felt reassured.

Once the men of the group had successfully stored Willow and the cart someplace safe, Luna walked over to a faded sign on the beach.

"Golden Shores Beach helps smooth even the most ragged edges. Phony superstitions," Luna retorted, flinging her bouncy, pink pigtails over her shoulders. "I still can't believe I have to sleep in the dirt… Literally."

Luke jumped over one of the large rocks blocking the road from the ocean and clapped Luna on the back so hard she nearly fell over. "C'mon! It's a new adventure! Won't be so bad, I promise."

But Luna folded her arms across her chest and made a pouty face before gingerly making her way to the sand. By the time everyone had made it on the sand, darkness had fallen over them—aside from the occasional flash of lightning. Anissa was frozen in place, paralyzed every time the thunder rumbled or the lightning flashed. Hikari had taken a notice to Anissa's 'freezing pattern' and placed her arm around her friend.

"Anissa, are you scared of thunderstorms?" she whispered, ever so quietly that only Anissa could hear her.

"Mmhmm," she answered timidly, but her voice was loud enough so that everyone could hear her. "I've always b-been afraid of them. Ever since I was a little girl. T-Taylor was just a baby the first time I ever heard a s-storm. I thought the Goddess was angry at my mother and father for having him without her consent. Yes, Taylor was conceived without the Goddess' permission."

Kathy and Owen glanced warily at each other. Hikari wondered if what Anissa said was true. Would the Goddess actually be angry if children were conceived "accidentally"? Suddenly, an orange glow illuminated the ground. Luke had successfully started a fire.

"Ever since that night, even though I'm older now, I'm always afraid for my little brother during storms… As well as for myself, in case wrath were to be brought upon the first born instead," Anissa ended.

Luke was staring straight into the heart of the fire, the black of his pupils reflected the flames.

"I'm confused," he said and everyone turned their attention towards him. Hikari's heart started to pick up speed. "I-I don't know what to think anymore… I mean, I thought I did but now I realize I have no idea what to do. I can't explain what's happening to me and it's not something someone else can fix. Hikari… I told you last night what that feeling is. I can't shake it and it just gets worse and worse every day."

"I'm in love," Hikari whispered. "I fell head over heels in love. But I can't do anything about it."

Luke's eyes grew wide and he searched Hikari's face for some sort of sign, but she didn't show any.

"Why don't you tell this person how you feel?" Luke asked.

"Because they don't feel the same way," Hikari whispered, feeling as though everyone else faded away, except for the fire, herself, and Luke.

"How do you know?"

"Because they haven't told me yet."

Luke stood up and extended his hand. Hikari grabbed it and didn't even notice the seven pairs of eyes staring at them. Luke cradled Hikari's face in his hands and smiled at her. Hikari sighed deeply and closed her eyes as she felt Luke's sweet lips on hers.

"I-I'm sorry," Luke said as they broke apart. "This is just too confusing…"

"W-wait! Luke!" Hikari called as he darted away. Tears sprung to her eyes as she sank down and crumpled onto the sand.

Kathy rushed over to assist the broken Hikari. "He loves you. I know he does. He just doesn't realize it yet."

"When will he?" Hikari screamed. Her crying was soft though, her tears bitter and cold.

Luke didn't realize that it was him who she loved. He didn't know that he was the only reason Hikari cried. He was the only reason that broke her heart. And she loved him. But he didn't love her back. He had a crush. Puppy love…

Kathy held Hikari in her comforting embrace until her sobbing stopped. Hikari stood up and wiped her tears away before running off to find Luke. The fire was starting to die and the others were settled down for the night.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Kathy whispered as she snuggled up next to Owen.

"I don't know," he whispered back, placing his hand on her barely noticeable baby bump. "But I do know that if they do get together, there will be some drama."

Kathy nodded and buried her head in Owen's chest. After about a half an hour, Luke and Hikari still hadn't returned. But that was not the problem this time. Renee had woken with a sharp jab through her stomach. Quickly shaking Toby awake she announced, "The baby is coming!"

**Argh! Short chapter and probably not worth the wait! But here's the good news! I already finished chapter 12, it's just going through some editing right now. Soooo that means it should be up either later today or tomorrow! That's your guys' reward for me slacking off... Once again, I appologize! And I appologize in advance for the comments I'll probably receieve about Luke. It's only the 11th chapter, so don't give up on him yet! You and I both know that deep down that he loves Hikari. And Renee is having her baby! Oh no! Please review and thanks again! Sorry for the long wait... :(**


	12. Sunset

**Wow, I am just really unfaithful right now aren't I? I'm so sorry. I've had this finished for ages but never got around to posting it. I'm so sorry. The excuse, "i'm busy", doesn't really work anymore huh? Welllll to try and make up for my absence, I made a long and rather exciting chapter this time. I hope you enjoy it because the beginning of this was one my favorite chapter to write so far! Enjoy! And Review if you do so please!**

"Luke! Luke! Where are you?" Hikari called out as she blindly stumbled over rocks and seaweed.

Where could that boy possibly have gone? The water was inching up on Hikari's feet and she could feel her body start to shut down. But she kept going. She had to find Luke. She had to tell him that everything would be okay. She had to lie and tell him she hadn't meant what she said. Just because if she didn't, she and Luke would never be the same again.

"Toby!" Renee gasped as sharp pains swirled around in her stomach.

Toby awoke and he rubbed his eyes to rid them of sleep. "Hmm?" he muttered.

"The baby…is…coming," Renee said through clenched teeth.

Toby shot up that second and proceeded to wake everyone around them. Anissa quickly rushed to get some blankets and Owen started the fire again. Kathy, Luna, and Toby helped get Renee situated.

"I'm scared," she whispered as she held Toby's hand, squeezing it hard every time another contraction hit.

"I know. We'll get through this together."

When Hikari finally found Luke, he was perched on a rock with his legs pulled up to his chest and a blank expression on his face. Hikari rushed over to him and stopped right in front of the rock he was sitting on.

"Luke?" she said, making sure he would respond before she said anything else.

"I'm sorry, Hikari," Luke said, not looking back at her. "I'm sorry that I don't get why I'm acting this way. I'm sorry I can't be whatever it is you're looking for…"

Hikari smiled sympathetically and joined him on the rock. "And I'm sorry for putting you through this."

She wrapped herself around him and rested her head on his shoulder. She could hear his heart pick up speed again and she took a deep breath. In his arms was where she forever wanted to be and she was going to be there one way or another.

"Luke," she said, looking him straight in the eyes. "You say I'm your best friend right? So nothing I say now can ruin that."

"Yeah, unless you say, like, you're my sister or something. Then everything we've done would just be creepy and I'd have to go get counsel-"

Hikari quickly silenced him with her lips and then pulled away again, leaving him stunned and bewildered with a cherry red face. "Think about it Luke! And no I'm not your sister; I don't look anything like Dale or your mom! Anyway, we've kissed, we've slept together, and we almost had sex! What does that tell you?"

Luke looked lost and Hikari's hopes fell. "That we're, uhh, not very good at being just friends?"

Hikari straddled Luke so she was sitting on his lap, facing him. "And what does that mean, Luke?" she whispered and felt him shiver underneath her.

Owen and Kathy had successfully managed bind Renee's hands up on two rocks. The baby was having a hard time coming out and Renee was exhausted already. Pulling up on the ropes that bound her would make it easier to push.

"Alright, let's try again," Toby said gently as Luna wiped away the sweat from Renee's brow.

Renee let out a moan and attempted to clutch at her stomach. Although it was to no prevail because her hands were tied.

"Toby I can't do this, I need to be in a hospital," Renee said, her voice hoarse and scared.

"Yes you can," Toby said with a soothing tone. "I know you can. You're the strongest woman I've ever met. That's why I fell in love with you."

Luke had been silent for a moment before looking Hikari in the eyes.

"It means that we're meant to be," Luke whispered, brushing away the hair from Hikari's face so he could kiss her.

Hikari let out a soft moan as she felt Luke's hand travel underneath her shirt and up to her back, resting on her bra strap. Delicately unhooking it, Luke switched positions so he could continue to remove her clothes. Hikari had worked her way down to his pants and slid two fingers into the belt loops. Smoothly sliding them down, she felt her body start to tremble with excitement.

But it all faded once Luna's scared voice broke the night air. Luke jumped so high in the air that he tumbled off the rock with his pants around his ankles. And that was how Luna found them—Luke laying on the ground pretty much naked and Hikari perched on top of the rock wearing nothing but her shorts.

Luna burst out laughing as she approached the couple. "So what Toby and Owen say is true actually _is_ true? Damn Luke, you better ask that woman out soon or she's going to think you only want her for one thing."

"Shut up, Luna," Luke grumbled as he pulled up his pants and draped his shirt over his arm.

"Why are you out here?" Hikari asked, half annoyed and half wishing Luke would've taken what she said into major consideration.

"Oh that!" Luna said, gathering her bearings once again. "Renee is having her baby and it's just not coming out… I figured she could use all the help she could get."

"Well, I've delivered a bunch of babies on my farm," Hikari said, sliding her bra and shirt back over her body.

"I don't think animal babies are the same as…h-human babies," Luke said, shuddering slightly.

Luna raised an eyebrow at him but kept her lips pursed. She motioned them to follow her and they took off at a run. Hopefully Renee would be okay.

When they reached the camp, Renee looked like a picture of hell. Her hair was frazzled and she was sweating. Toby must've managed to take off her dress because she now sported a white undershirt.

Hikari pushed a clueless Owen out of the way and took Renee's hand. "It'll be alright," she cooed. "I've delivered babies before."

"Hikari, I just don't have the strength to do this anymore," Renee whispered.

"Don't give up," Hikari said. "Giving up isn't going to solve anything. Please keep trying. For Toby, for yourself, and more importantly, for the baby inside you."

Renee nodded and pushed again, squeezing pretty much all of the feeling out of Toby and Hikari's hands. Anissa was watching to see if any baby appeared. When she called out, Hikari switched her hand with Luke's and ran to see what Anissa had seen.

"Umm, it's o-okay Renee. I-I think your…h-h-human baby is coming, err, out," Luke said, his eyes wide with a mixture of embarrassment and nervousness.

Renee smiled up at him until she cried out in pain. The baby was, indeed, coming out. After a bit more, a loud cry pierced the air and Renee burst into tears. Toby took a blanket and bundled it around his newborn son.

"It's a boy," he whispered, tears glistening on his cheeks.

Renee held out her sweaty hand to touch the baby's soft pink skin. "I think we should name him Matt."

Toby nodded and the new family stayed silent for awhile, listening to their new child coo and gurgle.

"I wonder what that's like," Luke said as he walked over and stood beside Hikari.

"Probably painful…But also very magical," she whispered, her hands folded and pressed against her chest in awe. "Maybe one day we'll find out. I think you'd make a pretty good daddy, Luke."

Luke glanced at her and his lips curled into a grin. "And I know you'd make one hell of a mommy."

"Luke?" Hikari said, taking his hand and lacing her fingers through his.

Luke placed one finger on Hikari's lips and smiled. "I'm the guy so I'll take it from here. Hikari, I can't stand to put you through this anymore. I can barely keep myself from the longing feeling I have for you… So, do you maybe want to…umm, go out s-sometime?"

Hikari's eyes widened and she quickly pulled him into a hug. "Yes," she whispered as tears once again rolled down her cheeks.

Everyone in the room faded away as Hikari held Luke close to her. Finally, after pining away for him, he was finally hers. Hers and only hers. She couldn't believe it! But it felt so right and it _was_ meant to be.

"Well everyone," Owen said, rubbing his hands together. "We've had a long and rather eventful day so I think it'd be best if we all hit the hay."

Renee had taken a basket from the cart and placed a sleeping Matt inside it while she and Toby laid down on either side of the make-shift crib. Owen took Kathy in his arms once more, making sure he was securely holding her and the baby. Hikari laid down, although she knew no sleep would come, and not too long after, Luke joined her, cradling her in his arms.

"Thank you," he whispered in her ear and her skin prickled with delight.

"For what?"

"Saving me." He kissed her forehead gently and somehow she managed to finally fall asleep.

_"Luke? Luke?" Hikari called, rushing to the edge of the shore. _

_The sea fog was bad and she could barely make out where she was stepping. A rock had snagged her dress and she was tripping over her own blistered feet. She caught a glimpse of her boyfriend, being dragged under by the strong current._

_"Luke! Come back! Please!" Hikari begged, tears streaming down her cheeks and her voice edging on hysteria._

_Selena's face appeared in the murky water and she smiled evilly at Hikari. "I told you that you'd regret the day you stole him from me. Say goodbye to your lover!"_

_The scene faded and a ring was then slid on her finger. She turned around and saw Gill dressed in a tuxedo. She was getting married! A veil was covering her eyes but she managed to get a glimpse of Luke. _

_"I thought what we had was special. I guess I was wrong. Don't ever talk to me again! I-I hate yo-" Luke's voice faded away and suddenly everything turned black again. _

Hikari eyes snapped open and she sat straight up, her heart pounding so loud she was afraid it'd wake everyone up. Looking around, she quickly ran her hands across her clothes. No wedding dress. No torn dress. She was fine.

Luke rose from his sleep and looked at her with a groggy expression. "What's wrong?" he slurred, sleep capturing his words.

"I-It was nothing… Go back to sleep," Hikari answered, breathing a sigh of relief that Luke was still by her side.

"I'm serious, Hikari. What's wrong?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. She needed to feel his breath on her cheeks. She needed to know that everything would be okay. She needed _him_.

"Don't ever leave me," she whispered, clutching his shirt so tight she was scared she might rip it.

"I won't. I promise," he whispered back.

The night had come and gone and daylight was upon the group once again. Renee had nursed Matt, who was a surprisingly calm baby, while the rest of the party loaded up the cart.

Town was about an hour away and they would easily make it there before the trading took place. When everyone was settled down, Kathy had mounted Willow and they were off. Luke laced his fingers through Hikari's and she blushed and smiled at him. This was how it was supposed to be.

"You know what I think," Luna said thoughtfully after a few minutes of silence. "That superstition about the beach was true. We did learn something about ourselves. Luke learned to stop being such an idiot."

Luke blushed and Hikari giggled.

"Anissa confronted her fear and Renee gave us a new little life," Luna continued. "It was true. I'll never forget this."

"Me either," Hikari said, resting her head on Luke's shoulder.

They had finally made it into town a little while later. People were busily setting up booths and making banners and signs. Hikari could hardly believe all of the wonderful different shops Mineral Town had. She was definitely glad she came on the trip.

"My lady," a young man with a purple bandana said as he escorted Luna out of the cart.

She smiled brightly at him. "This lady has a name. I'm Luna."

"Kai," he said, taking her hand and kissing it. "It is a pleasure, Luna."

She giggled and skipped happily away to set up her booth. Hikari rolled her eyes. She had seen way too many guys like him back in the city. After browsing around for awhile, she realized that Mineral Town was no different from Castanet Island. Same jobs, same types of people… Maybe all small towns were alike?

Luke had set up his booth and reserved a spot for Hikari next to him. "Yo, Hikari!" he called, motioning her over to him.

"What's up?" she said, placing a crate of milk on her own booth.

Luke shrugged, a grin playing at his lips. "Where do you want to go on our d-d-date?"

Hikari rested her elbows on the table and placed her chin in her hands. "I dunno… Some place romantic!"

"Romantic, eh? Y-yeah, I think I can manage that," Luke answered, obviously making a mental note in his head.

"I know you can," Hikari whispered, lightly kissing him on the cheek before getting back to work.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. People did buy from Hikari's booth, but no one interesting came around. Glancing around, she saw Luna heavily locking lips with that boy named Kai. Hikari smiled to herself, although this did make her worried. She still hoped Luna would be able to "steal" Gill away so she wouldn't have to deal with him anymore.

Luna giggled as she held onto Kai's hand. "Oh, Kai. You make me so happy! I just can't bear to leave you tonight!"

"I know, love. Me either! You are so beautiful…Stay with me here. Please, Popuri?"

Luna's eyebrows rose. "Who's Popuri? I'm Luna!"

Kai quickly tried to cover his mistake. "Uhh, no one. She's no one. It's just us, Luna."

Luna blew him a little kiss and waved goodbye. "Yeah, of course she isn't. Have fun with Popuri!"

"Boys are terrible," Hikari said as Luna walked back over to the cart.

Luna shrugged. "Oh well. It's not like he was 'the one' or anything. Besides, I'd rather go after Gill."

"Trust me, you can have him," Hikari said as she placed the remaining items she didn't sell into a charity bin nearby.

Kathy had mounted Willow and she had told them it was time to leave. Hikari took her place next to Luke, resting her head on his shoulder and inhaling deeply.

"Well, that was fun!" Anissa said.

"Speak for yourself," Renee answered back, cradling Matt in her arms.

Matt was such an adorable baby. His hair color was literally the perfect mixture of Toby and Renee. Although he did inherit his daddy's eyes.

The sun was setting over the little town as the group rode away into the darkness. Hikari couldn't believe that one trip could change so much in her life. As she laid her head on her best friend's shoulder, she made a wish to the Goddess that someday she would be the one walking down the aisle in a beautiful wedding dress. And Luke would be at the end of the aisle taking her hand and becoming her husband. The thought was soothing and Hikari could feel herself starting to doze off as the sun finally set for her first day as somebody's girlfriend.

**Yes, I finally did it! I realized that Luke couldn't be so dense anymore after EVERYTHING he and Hikari did together. So yup, they're finally a couple now! And I'm super happy! Will it be smooth sailing from here on out? Are you kidding me? No way! This is a drama story and therefore it has drama. But I'll keep it happy for at least a little bit. :) And to all of those who favorited/reviewed/subbed, thank you so much! I'm sorry I was not able to get back to all of you the last two chapters. Your comments and such are lost in the deep labryinth of my email... Which makes me really sad. And I'm sooo sorry! So thanks so much if I was not able to get back to you! It means a lot to me! **


End file.
